Next comes the Bucks' 15th pick. Many people know that the Bucks made a deal with the Trail Blazers, and now the 15th pick belongs to the Trail Blazers.

Countless people are watching Jiang Dongbing closely, wanting to see which player Jiang Dongbing will choose with this draft pick.

What is certain is that once Jiang Dongbing takes a fancy to him, it means that this player's strength and potential are quite outstanding.

Even Whitsitt on the side was attentive, staring closely at the handwriting written by Jiang Dongbing on the note.

"Hido Turkoglu?" Whitsitt frowned when he saw the name Jiang Dongbing wrote on the note.

Who is Hedo Turkoglu? Why have I never heard of him?

Because the Trail Blazers had a good regular season record last season, Whitsitt did not have much involvement in this year's draft. It is unlikely that any decent players will be selected anyway, so naturally he has nothing to do with this forward player from Turkey.

impression.

"I announce that the Milwaukee Bucks selected forward Hedo Turkoglu from Turkey with the 15th pick in the first round!" Stern announced forcefully on the stage.

Not only Whitsitt, but many people at the scene were very unfamiliar with Turkoglu, but they also knew that since Jiang Dongbing selected this player with the Blazers' highest pick this year, this player must have

Outstanding.

Then the next 16th pick of the Kings was also the Blazers' pick, and Jiang Dongbing directly chose Quentin Richardson.

This selection is not that shocking. Richardson's predicted pick was somewhere in the middle of the first round, so it was normal for him to be selected with the 16th pick.

But because the person who chose Richardson was Jiang Dongbing, this choice aroused heated discussion among the executives at the scene.

"I announce that the Los Angeles Clippers have selected Maurice Peterson from Michigan State University with the 18th pick of the first round!" Stern read.

Jiang Dongbing sighed. He had used up the three first-round picks. Although the three players selected were the most cost-effective choices, they did not satisfy him.

One thing is certain, if you count on this year's lineup, even if these people all reach their limit, the chance of winning the championship is probably very slim.

The draft continued until Michael Reed was selected in the second round, and Jiang Dongbing's mood improved slightly.

Reed is a very strong player and is definitely the strongest among the 2000 rookies. Even if his career is short and his results are not high, it does not prevent him from becoming the strongest in this class.

Jiang Dongbing has always felt it was a pity for Reed's career, even more pity than Stephen Jackson.

First of all, his draft pick when entering the league was too low, and the Bucks also had Ray Allen. In his rookie season, Reed only played six games in total, averaging less than six minutes per game.

The edge within the edge.

Secondly, the Bucks change their head coaches too frequently. Changing them once every two years is the norm. Changing them once a year is rare, but changing them twice a year is not uncommon. Each head coach has his own unique coaching philosophy.

Some people like to focus on positional warfare, some like to focus on fast-paced offense, some like players to make more breakthroughs, and some people like players to shoot more three-pointers.

It means that the Bucks' offensive tactics change from time to time. A player of Reid's level is definitely not qualified to discuss tactics with the coach, and the coach cannot play around him.

For a player like Reid, is he actually a weakened defensive version of Klay Thompson? Do you let him keep holding the ball and attacking the basket? That is definitely forcing him to die? His body will not be able to withstand it after a few years of playing.

Already.

Now Jiang Dongbing has already thought about how to use Reed, and he will never let Reed make the same mistakes under normal circumstances. Not to mention that he can achieve the same achievements as Jackson, at least he will leave a more profound mark in the history of the league.

Is Jackson actually lucky? It happened to coincide with the time when Jordan retired, and the players around 1996 have not really risen yet, so Jackson won two regular season MVPs? He may not be so lucky in the future, and the league will officially enter the league.

The Age of the Gods.

"Jiang, did we select too many forwards and defenders?" Whitsitt asked curiously from the sidelines.

Four players were selected? Two small forwards and two guards? This configuration seemed really weird? Whitsitt couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Dongbing sighed. He also knew that the positions of the four selected players were not well matched, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Bob? We definitely can't keep all these players and use them ourselves. Let's train them for a while and then sell them? First, we can get some trading chips for our Blazers."

Hearing this, Whitsitt blushed. Although the Trail Blazers currently have strong troops on their books, they actually don't have much bargaining chips in the transaction. The transaction value of Pippen and others is not that big...

The main reason is that the contracts of Pippen or Flying Squirrel are too big. If the contracts were smaller, for example, reduced by half, the transaction value would still be good.

Whitsitt knows very well that the reason why the Blazers have no trading chips is because of him.

"Ahem, Jiang, I understand what you mean."

"Looking at it this way, there is indeed a problem with my previous team building ideas. It exhausted the team's potential and ultimately failed to bring a championship to the team." Whitsitt said with shame.

Jiang Dongbing waved his hand, "Everyone has a different idea of ​​​​building a team, and there is no right or wrong. As long as it can improve the team's record."

"Didn't your team-building ideas also improve the Blazers' record?"

"Okay, the draft is over. Let's go back. We still have to think about the starting lineup for the new season, and the transactions of other players must be carried out quickly."

…

After returning to Portland, Jiang Dongbing and Whitsett immediately became busy. They were not busy with rookie matters. These rookies just asked other team executives to contact them directly. What the two were really busy with were Pippen-related trade operations.

.

Pippen's contract is really too big. Pippen's contract must be disposed of as soon as possible, otherwise there will be endless troubles.

Last season, Pippen's annual salary of $15.8 million ranked sixth in the league, followed by O'Neal, Garnett, Mourning, Juwan Howard and Ewing Sr.

There is nothing we can do about Ewing. He is the heart and soul of the Knicks and his contract is too small to justify it.

According to Uncle Huo, it was because the contract was signed too little and the labor wage agreement had not been signed at that time, so he took advantage of this.

O'Neal and Mourning are the second of the top three centers in the league, and Garnett is one of the top three forwards in the league. They have the highest salary in the league, which is naturally impeccable, but now Pippen is still at the small forward position.

Can he be ranked high? He definitely can't make it into the top five. After all, Pippen averaged only 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game last season.

"Jiang, what the boss means is that if it's really hard to sell, we can let Scott stay in Portland. We've already spent the money anyway, as long as he can play a role," Whitsitt conveyed.

Thoughts by Paul Allen.

Jiang Dongbing shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It's not that simple. It's completely impossible for us to keep Pippen. Even if Pippen takes the initiative to cut his salary to five million, we still can't keep him."

"You also know how many forwards and defenders we took in this draft. These rookies need a lot of playing time to develop, otherwise how will other teams know the value of these rookies."

"Do you think Scottie Pippen would be willing to sit on the bench?"

"In addition, you don't know Scott's character. His mouth can cause a lot of unpleasant things and affect the atmosphere of the team. I don't think you want to see internal strife in the Blazers." Jiang Dongbing said slowly.

Whitsitt nodded. He didn't think much about it. He just thought that Pippen was not easy to sell. Rather than doing that, he might as well make do with it. The boss didn't care about the salary anyway.

Since Jiang Dongbing insisted on selling, the only thing Whitsett could do was to help Jiang Dongbing contact the buyer.

Don't even think about selling players like Pippen to those weak teams. They will definitely not be taken advantage of.

Because they themselves have no hope of winning the championship. With Pippen, is it possible that they can win the championship? No one will believe this. Rather than spending such a large sum of money to support Pippen, it is better to train new people.

The teams that may actually be interested in Pippen are those teams with a good foundation and a chance to compete for the championship, and they must be rich teams. Teams like the Spurs must also be interested in Pippen.

But I definitely can't afford Pippen's contract.

In this way, the idea becomes extremely clear. Only the Knicks and Lakers in the entire league meet such conditions!

Both teams are very good, the Lakers are very strong, the Knicks are a team in the Eastern Conference that has reached the Eastern Conference Finals year after year, and both teams are very rich.

"I'll contact the Knicks, you contact the Lakers, and we'll try to finalize Scott's deal today," Jiang Dongbing said.

…

Van Gundy received a call from Jiang Dongbing and was completely confused.

"What? God, you're selling Scottie Pippen?!"

"That's right, Jeff, I have a good relationship with your boss, so I thought of you right away. I thought you would be very interested in Scott." Jiang Dongbing smiled on the phone, trying his best to conceal his feelings for Nick.

The idea of ​​being taken advantage of.

Van Gundy thought about it carefully for a moment, and he found that introducing Pippen was actually feasible, and it would also be a good improvement for the Knicks.

The main reason is that Ewing has left the team, which saves a lot of salary space. After Pippen joins the team, the Knicks' perimeter defense will be qualitatively improved. This deal is definitely worth a try.

But in an instant, Van Gundy was in a dilemma. What could the Knicks do to trade for Pippen? It seemed that the Knicks didn't have any decent bargaining chips.

Even if Pippen's value is not high, the salary must be equalized anyway. Pippen's annual salary is close to 15 million. To equalize the salary, the Knicks must at least provide a player with an annual salary of tens of millions, which can be a

A player with an annual salary of tens of millions, or several players with a combined annual salary of tens of millions.

"Jiang, this matter is a bit difficult to handle. Just the salary balance is a big problem." Van Gundy said in embarrassment.

"What's so difficult about this? There are so many players on the free market. You just sign anyone with an annual salary of seven to eight million, and then you pick out some junk contracts that the Knicks don't want and then pick another one with an annual salary of two to three million. That's okay.

Is it so difficult?" Jiang Dongbing said speechlessly.

Van Gundy was speechless, and he said it easily. If he did this, the Knicks' total salary would skyrocket again, and the salary space saved by Ewing's departure would be gone again.

However, what Jiang Dongbing said may not be the same method.

"I think you should sign the Grizzlies' Ben Wallace, and then use him to trade for Scott." Jiang Dongbing made another suggestion.

The Grizzlies just announced two days ago that they have renewed O'Neill's contract with a maximum salary. At the same time, there is no news about Ben, who is also about to sign. Jiang Dongbing can be sure that the Grizzlies will probably not renew Ben's contract.

Ben is now paying his dues. Although his salary is not comparable to O'Neill, it is certainly not much lower. With the Grizzlies' financial resources, Ben will definitely be reluctant to renew Ben's contract.

To put it bluntly, if you are willing to give it up, why not keep the money to renew David Taillon's contract.

"Jiang, why do I feel that you are trying to trick us? Your real purpose is not to sign Ben Wallace, right?" Van Gundy said speechlessly.

"Ahem, how is that possible? Jeff, I gave you such a big gift, and you actually doubted me!"

"I will say hello to Ben. You should contact him first. This matter should be done sooner rather than later. Whitsitt is contacting the Lakers. If the Lakers snatch Scott away, I will not be responsible!

"Jiang Dongbing said with a smile.

Van Gundy looked helpless. Even if he knew that Jiang Dongbing was tricking the Knicks, there was nothing he could do. Pippen was really attractive to them.

When a team like the Knicks selects players, perhaps their first consideration is not the player's strength, but the player's reputation...

That Pippen is simply too dreamy for the Knicks.

…

After hanging up the phone with Van Gundy, Jiang Dongbing's face was full of smiles. If the deal with the Knicks goes through, the Blazers can really say that they have made a lot of money.

Not only did he get rid of Pippen's super big contract, but he also got an extremely useful blue-collar insider like Big Ben to supplement the Blazers' inside strength!

In addition, I saved at least 5 million in annual salary expenses, which is simply killing two birds with one stone.

Perhaps he was also afraid of being intercepted by the Lakers, so early the next morning, Van Gundy called and said that he had agreed to the deal and that they would contact Ben Wallace as soon as possible and wait until the signing with Ben was completed.

Finalize Pippen's contract with the Trail Blazers.

Whitsitt encountered a problem with the Lakers. After learning that Jiang Dongbing had successfully dealt with Pippen, he couldn't help but be impressed by Jiang Dongbing. This trading ability is really admirable.

If it were you, would you be able to come up with such a perfect trading plan? I'm afraid it's unlikely.

Of course, even if I can figure it out, Benle's unwillingness to sign with the Knicks is still a matter of two people. Maybe Benle just doesn't want to sign with the Knicks...
Chapter completed!