Jimmy Butler's departure was both beyond Link's expectations and reasonable.

Indeed, three consecutive championships are the achievements that many players dream of achieving. Many people want to win three consecutive championships, if they want to win a championship, they have to work hard throughout their careers.

Even so, it may not be possible.

But not a team that has won three consecutive championships can definitely maintain the status quo. After all, everyone has their own pursuits and goals. Not everyone wants to do something repeatedly in a team.

Especially after winning three consecutive championships, people's psychology will change.

Not to mention three consecutive championships, even after winning one championship, there are many situations where the championship lineup is split.

The Dallas Mavericks in 2011, the Lakers after the last three consecutive championships, etc., are all living examples.

No team can always dominate one side, and the huge mobility of the players is also one of the greatest charms of the NBA.

In this regard, Pat Riley, a famous NBA coach and current general manager of the Heat, has long studied and summarized this situation. He vividly called this psychological image "polycosmic".

Pat Riley is not just a well-known head coach, it is not enough to summarize his greatness. Riley's understanding of the sport of basketball and the NBA league is very thorough.

He is one of the few people who can win the championship in this league as a player, coach and general manager, not because Riley is lucky.

He can lead the team to win championships in his coaching position, and he can also finalize a seismic transfer such as the Big Three Heat as the general manager.

He has his own ideas about basketball. He once predicted that the boundaries between different positions of basketball will become increasingly blurred in the future, and there will be five players around 2.05 meters on the basketball court.

And now, this trend is gradually becoming a reality.

The turbidity of the champion team is also a very real theory proposed by Pat Riley.

A game, a series, or even a season, may not reflect the impact of participation on players' enthusiasm and motivation.

But what about two seasons? What about the founding of the dynasty? When you are silently staying in the bottom corner and making three-pointers. Combined with the champion team's inertia "I have climbed the top of the mountain", can you still maintain your concentration when you first hit the championship, and still feel that seeing the same face every day after playing 82 games is an interesting and passionate and honorable thing?

After a team wins the championship in a certain year, all players will want more time, more money, higher status or more attacks in the second year.

They will think, "I am already a champion player, and I should always have my own privileges, instead of repeating pick-and-roll and open three-pointers every day, giving the spotlight to another person."

He would want to be his own side and create his own era of championships.

He would think that he had won enough championships and maybe he should continue his career in another way.

Everyone has their own ideas and **. This is the greed of the champion team, an inevitable phenomenon that occurs in every championship team.

Pat Riley had seen this phenomenon thoroughly and put forward theories many years ago. He knew that the players in this league were not strings of data, but living people.

You can't make everyone's ideas highly unified, just like Iguodala doesn't like the role of being a star, but some people are fascinated by it.

Many years ago, defender Gary Neal, who was discovered by **Vic and trained by one hand, said when he left the Spurs, "The Spurs are indeed a great team, but no matter how many championships and wins you are, you will never be the protagonist. The protagonist is Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan, and no one will remember you at all."

Therefore, Gary Neil chose to leave.

So, it is not that a team keeps winning and winning the championship, and everyone will stay for the rest of their lives.

Not to mention these role players, superstars such as James, Garnett, and Paul have never been able to live their lives.

And those players who have lived their last team may not be as glamorous as they appear.

Although Duncan has become a symbol of the Spurs now, at the beginning of the millennium, he was infinitely close to the Orlando Magic.

Although Kobe is now the Lakers' totem, he used to be clamoring to play in Chicago. If the Lakers hadn't brought Gasol, God would know if Kobe was still wearing a purple gold jersey.

At the beginning, Link actually found it difficult to accept Butler's leaving.

But after going back to think about these the next day, Link felt relieved.

He not only accepted the fact that Butler wanted to leave, but also prepared for more people to leave.

This summer is a beautiful summer. But inevitably, it will be a parting summer.

"What's wrong? You've been distracted after you came back from having dinner with Jimmy yesterday." Rachel, who was lying in Link's arms watching TV, touched his face, and Link came to his senses.

"It's nothing, I'm considering our travel route, hehe." Link smiled. He didn't want to bring his work troubles to Rachel.

"I'm very concerned, go and take a shower, the water should be hot."

"It's still early, it's only eleven o'clock."

"You have to take a break early today. You forgot, are you going to go to the rookie trial tomorrow?"

"Oh, right." Link slapped his forehead. Tomorrow is the day for this year's rookie players to try out at the Federal Express Arena.

Link will naturally come to the scene in person and let the Grizzlies bring back some useful people to the team as much as possible.

Since the Grizzlies have always been the champion team, there is no high pick. And the low pick is very much needed for Link's experience from the future.

Speaking of which, time flies so fast. I don’t know how Jokic and Dinwiddie, who were selected last year, grew up a year later.

One of them is in Europe and the other is in the Development League. Before they begin to emerge in the Grizzlies, it is time to make another choice.

Link got up and was about to walk towards the bathroom, but just took a few steps and turned around and looked at Rachel, "Aren't you together?"

Rachel smiled and turned off the TV and stood up from the sofa.

"Oh well."

※※※

When Link came to the entrance of the Federal Express Arena the next day, he found that there were many fans gathering outside the Arena.

They all came for Jimmy Butler.

This morning, Butler officially announced that he would not renew his contract immediately and would test the free agent market.

There is no doubt that this is undoubtedly a deep water bomb for the entire free agent market.

Although Butler is not the star of the Grizzlies, he has undoubtedly made a fortune. Everyone believes that there will be many teams rushing to offer Butler a big contract.

So early this morning, fans gathered at the entrance of the stadium. Some of them held signs with the words "Stay, Jimmy", while others held signs with the words "Get out, traitor".

It seems that fans' views on Butler's departure are also very different.

Link shook his head. The separation was unpleasant for everyone but had to go through.

Soon, Link crossed the player's lane to the training hall. Like last year, the rookies on the court were already warming up.

Seeing Memphis' "His Majesty" arrive, the rookies instantly became serious.

"Goal, it's so good to see Link." After seeing Link, Jogel waved at him, "What's wrong with you? The dark circles are so heavy."

"Uh... I slept a little late yesterday, hehe." Link scratched his head embarrassedly.

He even suspected that Rachel urged himself to take a shower was a trap from the beginning...

"Please take a rest, how are you recovering from the injury?"

"It's almost time to recover. As long as you don't exercise vigorously, there will be basically no pain. By the way, Jimmy's incident..."

"Jimmy has already talked to the management, he insisted on leaving and claimed not to make money. I think it is already an irreversible situation for us to lose Jimmy. Besides, we have no advantage in the contract price. I heard that many teams are planning to sign Jimmy for five years at a price of nearly 100 million. We can't get this number out at all. Because this summer, we have to renew Mark. Next summer, we have to renew Conley, and we have no room for operation."

"Well... there's nothing I can do, this is nba." Link shook his head and did not continue to feel too much regret.

"But I have something worse than Jimmy." Jogel looked at Link with a serious look.

“Bad news?”

"I heard that Kevin Durant is likely to jump out of his last year contract and enter the free agent market. And the Golden State Warriors will be his first transfer target."

"watt!?"

Link was completely stunned. Durant left Thunder a whole year earlier than in the original history!
Chapter completed!