Chapter 610: Durant Joins...

Durant is about to leave the Nets. This is the news that TNT broke two days after Lin Ying and Durant chatted.

And after the news broke, Durant also published a long post on social media titled "Forever Thankful to the Nets."

Obviously, this wave of news is not so much TNT breaking the news, but Durant chose to announce the news on TNT.

Why not ESPN? Experience it yourself.

In a long post, Durant thanked the Nets from the bottom of his heart for everything they had given him.

"Before I came here, I was a loser. I experienced a 3-1 lead and was overtaken. I felt that my career had reached the darkest moment. At that time, I didn't even know how to save myself;

But when I left here, I had an honor and a new lease of life.

I will always be grateful to this city, this team, and all the fans here for giving me courage and new life. "

And in this long article, Durant also explained the reason for his departure.

"I want to prove myself, just like Pippen wanted to prove himself. Maybe I will fail like Pippen, but success or not is not the key to this choice. The key point is that I have the courage to take this step. , for me, it would make my career complete.”

Durant's last words also resonated with many people.

This is not just because it is true enough, but as he writes, it is courageous enough.

In the joking words of some fans, if it were James, he would probably play with the Nets until he retires.

This is the difference between shrewdness and courage.

The interesting thing is that because this happened to coincide with the draft, once the news broke, the outside world paid less attention to the draft.

But the fact is, this can be said to be the most influential draft in the NBA in the next ten years.

Doncic, Trae Young, Ayton, Porter Jr., and Alexander all came from this draft.

Also because of Durant's departure, Lin Ying also recommended a candidate to Warken Dean before the draft to add firepower.

The next day, the draft kicked off at the Barclays Center.

Lin Ying also appeared in the VIP box with Jokic.

Durant is busy now, and he can only take the little fat man with him now.

The lottery results of this year's draft are still quite different from those in history.

The biggest one is that the No. 1 pick was changed from the Suns to the Hawks.

Then the 2nd to 5th picks are: Suns, Kings, Mavericks, and Grizzlies.

Under Lin Ying's curious eyes, the draft officially kicked off.

The Hawks directly selected Ayton with the first pick.

This result is expected.

When there is an outstanding big man in a draft, the high probability of winning the No. 1 pick is a gamble.

Because compared to other positions, this position has the highest fault tolerance rate.

And Ayton scored 20+10+2 in the NCAA, which is full of dominance.

Then the Suns with the second pick directly selected Doncic.

The Kings selected Bagley with the third pick.

With the fourth pick, the Mavericks (who changed their Chinese name from the Mavericks to the Mavericks in January this year) selected Trae Young.

Then, as Lin Ying expected, the Mavericks made a deal with the Suns, and after adding a protected first-choice pick for next year, they traded the selected Trae Young for Doncic.

So the result is that although Trae Young ended up going to the Suns unlike in history, Dallas still welcomed Doncic.

Lin Ying even felt that this choice might be more reasonable than in history.

Because Phoenix bombards the Holy Land, Trae Young's growth may be better than in Atlanta.

Even during the draft, there were rumors that D'Antoni would return to Phoenix.

The Suns' official website also uses the term "Nash's successor" to describe Young.

Young's physical fitness is not outstanding like Nash, but his passing ability was fully demonstrated in college, averaging close to 10 assists per game.

But the biggest difference between him and Nash is that he has much more desire to score than Nash. He is more like Curry.

Later in the first round, at the 24th pick, the Nets made a move.

The Nets sent this year's 30th pick, plus last year's first-round pick Dillon Brooks, traded for the 24th pick, and then selected the player recommended by Lin Ying to Warken Dean: Anfernee. Simmons.

This man, known in history as Little Simmons, is a combo guard and a shooting guard, a bit like Seth Curry that the Nets had before.

But what's better than Curry is that he has a better wingspan and a higher ceiling.

With Durant choosing to leave and Kobe not sure whether to continue playing next season, this is a very good addition they can make.

Of course, the Nets actually have another option near this pick: Robert Williams.

Lowe is a very good player with potential, but the Nets are rich in both interior positions. Tucker and Ariza are both in their prime, and Zhou Qi is also crying out for help.

On balance, Simmons is the one more likely to get a chance.

You must know that although Durant has left, the Nets' goal of four consecutive championships will not change. They need to seize every possible opportunity to strengthen themselves.

Under this premise, choosing the right one is more important than choosing the better one.

Of course, only Lin Ying has such an open mind to know how big the impact of this draft will be. Most fans just took a look at the draft and then turned their attention to the upcoming free agent market.

Because where Durant will go is the most talked about topic in the league right now.

Because of Durant, this year's free agent market is destined to be very exciting.

But this is not just because of Durant, there are many "big fish" who will swim into the free agent market this year.

For example, George, Jokic, and Aaron Gordon are all big fish.

Moreover, the dispute between Leonard and the Spurs was as noisy as in history, and Anthony and the Knicks also reached the point where they had to part ways.

You will definitely not be lonely this summer.

Time flies, and in a few days, the door to the free market officially opens.

On the first day the gate was opened, several of the biggest fish found their homes one after another.

George renewed a four-year, $137 million max contract with the Pelicans;

Although the Pelicans stopped in the Western Conference semifinals last season, the team's future is promising.

The Nets also acted quickly and reached a five-year contract extension with a maximum salary of 148 million with Jokic.

After Durant has decided to leave, Jokic is now the one the team must keep no matter what.

After all, basketball is a sport for five people. No matter how strong Lin Ying is, under the current league structure, it is impossible for him to win the championship without helpers.

Then, just as the free market signings were proceeding one after another, the turmoil involving his uncle, Popovich, team doctors, and a series of other matters finally came to an end at this time.

Leonard was sent to the Toronto Raptors as in history, and DeRozan also left Toronto, where he played for nine years, for San Antonio.

When Durant's next home was still up in the air, this transaction also caused an earthquake in the league like in history.

Although Leonard has failed to meet fans' expectations due to injuries in the past two seasons, and there are still hidden dangers of injuries, his strength is obvious to all.

He is one of the few players in the league who is dominant on both offense and defense.

Or to put it in more realistic terms, Leonard is one of the few players in the league who can compete with Lin Ying on both offense and defense. Isn’t this a treasure?

Of course, this is a big gamble because no one knows the true extent of Leonard's injury.

Except for Lin Ying, no one knows how competitive the Raptors will be in the new season.

And not long after the dust of Leonard's trade settled, Anthony's next home was also determined.

The Pelicans handed Cousins ​​a two-year, $40 million contract as soon as the free agent market opened.

Originally, Cousins' lack of interest in the trade market has already demonstrated his current value. The Pelicans' offer was also based on Cousins' outstanding performance in the playoffs last season.

What is very realistic is that even if Cousins ​​performs like he did in the playoffs last season, this is the only contract he has received with an offer of more than 20 million.

This made Cousins ​​feel "insulted", so he did not choose to renew his contract with the Pelicans.

Against this background, the Pelicans finally chose to use New Orleans' "air" and acquired Anthony and a first-round pick from the Knicks.

Cousins ​​also chose to "retaliate against society" after the Pelicans traded for Anthony. He announced that he had reached a one-year, 5.3 million mid-level contract with the Lakers.

At the same time, in order to make room for Cousins, the Lakers also made an expired contract swap with the Hornets, but it can be regarded as a win-win deal.

The Lakers sent away the team's starting center Tyson Chandler and acquired J.R. Smith from the Hornets.

These two veterans only have their last year left with an annual salary of tens of millions, but their strength is obviously unable to match their salary.

But for the Lakers, in addition to the factor of Cousins, there is another key reason: last season's short starting lineup of Paul and Curry has proven to be unworkable. Although JR is old, he still has some fuel in the tank. If you have enough gas, even a false start will be effective.

They even added an insurance policy to Cousins ​​and directly poached Warriors starting center McGee from the Warriors.

At this time, the league was experiencing constant earthquakes, and fans were overwhelmed.

Originally, the East and West were three countries competing for hegemony, but this time, there is an extra Raptors team in the East, and the Pelicans and Lakers in the West have greatly increased their strength.

Especially the Lakers. They failed to reach the Finals last season because of Davis' injury, and now they have suddenly added Cousins.

If they all stay healthy, the Lakers' starting lineup next season will be Paul, JR, James, Anthony Davis, and Cousins.

After Durant leaves the Nets, this will be the strongest team in the league on paper.

It can be seen that the Lakers management obviously wants to take advantage of the decline of the Nets' strength and seize the opportunity to reach the top.

Moreover, the opportunity is also very large.

Therefore, the league's structure has undergone earth-shaking changes before the free market ends.

The Western Conference is still the main theme of the battle between the two heroes, but the Lakers have clearly gained the upper hand.

In the East, the Nets' strength has declined, the Raptors have a great chance, and there are also the Hornets and 76ers who are ready to make a move. The whole situation is completely different.

This kind of clear Three Kingdoms hegemony is completely different from last season. It is a bit similar to the scene of a big battle. It makes the ownership of the championship next season confusing, and it also whets the appetite of fans again.

Then at this time, fans suddenly discovered a very critical issue: Durant's next home has not yet been determined!

If James becomes a free agent, fans will not be surprised by this undecided state. After all, the previous decisions have been made in this way.

But Durant is different. The last time Durant decided to join the Nets, he made the decision quickly, but this time it took so long, which can't help but make people confused.

Because judging from the information previously revealed, Durant wants to go to the West and there are not many teams to choose from, and the Pelicans are one of the popular destinations.

One is that the Pelicans are strong, the other is that the Pelicans have Durant as their boss, and the third is that the Pelicans have enough salary space.

But now that the Pelicans are gone, the remaining teams in the Western Conference to choose from, and the only ones with salary space are the Clippers and Thunder, which are obviously not as competitive. There may not be a competition if Durant goes. A team with championship strength.

Otherwise, the only option is to trade.

But obviously, trading is far more difficult than signing.

…

When the free market was coming to an end, Durant returned to Brooklyn and immediately approached Lin Ying.

His brows were always in a frowning state, and it could be seen that he was not trying to imitate James, but was really in trouble.

"You haven't decided where to go yet?"

When Lin Ying asked this question, he almost said that he really couldn't return to the Nets to play for another season.

"Things are a little worse than I expected. I don't have a good place to go in the West."

Durant said with a wry smile.

He has been meeting with teams in the past period, but he found that after excluding the Lakers and Warriors, there is no team in the West that can give him a chance to beat these two teams.

The Timberwolves were an option he considered, where he could play with Harden and Towns.

It's just that Minnesota was a place that ultimately turned him away.

"Wouldn't that be better? If we stay in the Eastern Conference, we can meet more times a season!"

Lin Ying smiled and patted Durant on the shoulder. He was really happy.

If he must be an opponent, he certainly hopes Durant can spend more time with him.

The best is the Knicks, but the Knicks are really in trouble now and are completely out of the question.

After all, no matter how good friends are, the relationship will fade away if we don't get together enough. This is inevitable.

"So where did you end up going?"

Lin Ying immediately asked again.

He knows Durant will come back and his next job is basically determined.

"Wait, don't say it yet, let me take a guess, Wasp?"

Lin Ying asked tentatively.

Durant was stunned for a moment, and then,

nodded.