Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1025 - 589 I Thought It Was 2003 Now_3

Chapter 1025: Chapter 589: I Thought It Was 2003 Now_3 Chapter 1025: Chapter 589: I Thought It Was 2003 Now_3 Paul’s decision earned widespread praise, and even Davis was thrilled, knowing just how much help Paul could bring to him.

The four superstars of the free agent market each found their place, respectively making three playoff teams even more competitive and helping another team that was on the cusp of playoff contention gain the confidence to vie for the semifinals.

While the Brooklyn Nets’ Big Three made the free agent market exceptionally lively, the Clippers were not idle. They were not in the mood for spectating.

With Spencer Hawes being poached by the Timberwolves with a lucrative mid-level exception, the Clippers’ top priority was to keep their competitive veterans and use their mid-level exception to secure a ready-to-play player.

Considering the Clippers’ current roster, Trem believed the team was lacking in primary rotation players on the frontcourt, so he set his sights on Gerald Green.

Infamous as “Nine Fingers,” one of the last high school players to make the jump directly to the NBA, Green was once touted as “McGrady’s successor.” Unfortunately, he possessed only McGrady’s physique, not his skills. Can McGrady still be called McGrady if he can’t handle the ball?

Over nine years, Green had played for seven different teams. Last season, while playing for the Suns, he delivered the best performance of his career, with averages of 15 points and 4 rebounds per game. Seventy percent of his shots came from beyond the three-point line, with a high accuracy rate of 39%. As a scoring-focused substitute, these statistics were very valuable.

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Green did not hesitate to accept the Clippers’ offer of a 3-year, 12 million US Dollar contract.

After signing Green, the Clippers’ next target was Trevor Ariza, who had emerged as a standout player off the bench last season.

Meanwhile, the Clippers also confirmed that Nikola Jokić, the Serbian center they picked in this year’s draft, would join the NBA a year ahead of schedule in the upcoming season.

Next, the Clippers and the Cavaliers went head-to-head in the battle for Richard Jefferson.

Both teams were eager to acquire the veteran who clearly still had something left in the tank.

The Cavaliers offered a higher tactical status and contract, while the Clippers sold the dream.

Trem stated that the Clippers’ goal for the new season was to win the championship, while the Cavaliers only seemed to want it on the surface.

Jefferson was skeptical.

Subsequently, Trem asked Yu Fei to personally invite Jefferson.

Yu Fei’s official invitation on behalf of the team began to tip Jefferson’s scales toward the Clippers.

Finally, he made his decision.

And, he firmly denied that it was because he wanted to play in Los Angeles.

“This is a decision from the heart,” said the 34-year-old veteran, “When Yu Fei called me, I realized that we were destined to play together.”

The reporters were curious about what he meant.

Jefferson began his story by turning back the clock twelve years.

It was the 2001-02 season, not only Yu Fei’s rookie year but also Jefferson’s. At the time, Jefferson was with the Brooklyn Nets, who had eliminated Yu Fei’s Wizards in the first round of the playoffs.

“Frye told me that D.C. was the only team he played for without winning a championship, and I was the reason for that,” Jefferson said, “I feel what he said made sense, that I owed it to him.”

After Jefferson’s remarks, the basketball world was abuzz.

Jefferson led the Brooklyn Nets to eliminate the Wizards in 2002? That was Kidd’s team. Besides, how did he owe Frye anything? Just for eliminating the Greatest Of All Time?

By that reasoning, how should the GOAT repay for delivering a crushing defeat to Kobe?

Ultimately, people realized that Jefferson was simply making a decision that followed his heart.

After all, he had to choose between Los Angeles and Cleveland.

Would any sane person pick Cleveland over Los Angeles? Probably not. So, it was just a decision that conformed to human nature. As for those heartfelt words, they were just part of human nature as well.

By then, the Clippers’ core roster for the new season was essentially set.

Yu Fei, Yao Ming, Thompson, Antetokounmpo, Green, Jefferson, Jokić, Pachulia.

That was a highly competitive eight-man rotation, missing only a pure point guard.

As for the point guard position, the Clippers had no solution.

Billups signed a one-day contract with the Detroit Pistons to play briefly before retiring in the new season.

Having lost Billups, the Clippers decided not to waste money in search of a regular rotation point guard.

They resolved to let Yu Fei and Antetokounmpo take turns playing point guard in the new season.

After signing Jefferson, the Clippers’ summer operations essentially came to a close, and now it was a matter of seeing if they could find any bargains in free agency.

The Cavaliers were undoubtedly the biggest losers this summer.

They failed to sign a third star, nor could they snatch up the role players James had his heart set on; in the end, they could only secure Chandler Parsons with a hefty contract.

When the Cavaliers offered Parsons a 4-year, $44 million deal, no one could match it.

There’s an old saying among NBA executives: “There’s always one damn fool!”

This phrase is usually used to describe those contracts that disrupt the market equilibrium with their overpayment.

But this time, no one blamed the Cavaliers; they had simply “broken down.”

By the end of July, the operations of most teams were largely complete.

For the majority of teams, summer had ended.

Those teams that came up empty could take comfort in the words of the Greatest of All Time: “Summer will come again.”

But Cleveland couldn’t.

Because their summers were always so bleak.

“I’m a patient person, I won’t rush things, my commitment to Cleveland is unchanging.”

James said in an interview.

New fans applauded James’s attitude, while older fans speculated whether this was laying the groundwork for “The Decision 3.0.”

Meanwhile, Yu Fei accepted Yao Ming’s invitation to organize a showcase team to travel to China and participate in the annual Yao Foundation charity game.

The team included Shane Battier, an old teammate of Yao Ming.

Shane Battier followed Yao to Miami and won two championships. This summer, he declined a veteran’s minimum offer from the Miami Heat and decided to retire.

However, Battier did not announce his retirement in the United States but chose to do so in China, delivering his retirement speech to Chinese fans.

That night, Yu Fei returned to his hotel and received another message.

“Ray Allen says he’s not playing anymore.”

“What does ‘not playing anymore’ mean?”

Yu Fei had always hoped Ray Allen would join the Clippers. Even though he was nearly 40, as a shooter, he still held great value.

“It probably means he’s retiring.”

So, Yu Fei personally called Ray Allen, but the decision had already been made.

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“Listen, I’m not retiring, I’m just not playing anymore,” Ray Allen said very seriously.

“Is there a difference?”

Yu Fei asked, somewhat helplessly.

“Retirement is like a ‘death certificate’ for a professional player, I will never retire,” Ray Allen said, “right now, I’m choosing to walk away from this sport, not the other way around, understand?”

“Understood.”

“Anything else?”

“I don’t think so.”

Yu Fei answered.

“Take care of yourself,” Allen said, “you’re not young either.”

“Thanks for the reminder, I thought it was 2003.”

“I liked that year, too,” Allen said, “but that was eleven years ago.”

Yes, eleven years.