LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Chapter 123 Jeremy Lin's Replacement

I stared out the window at the passing vehicles for a long time. Every car that drove out of the traffic flow, passed the section of road leading to the quick loan center, and then immediately left that section of road and rejoined the traffic flow.

Chen Shuo let out a long sigh, and his whole body collapsed.

During his conversation with Jeremy Lin, Chen Shuo kept telling himself that refusing Lin's request and forcing him to stay was in the best interests of both the team and himself.

Chen Shuo always imagined himself as a cold-blooded godfather-like figure like Riley Angelo.

The league's strategy is based on the players' actions, without any emotional involvement, focusing solely on right and wrong.

Looking back, I realized I was still the same ordinary person I was before I transmigrated.

Chen Shuo suddenly remembered a line from a movie: "I thought you weren't a good person, but I didn't expect you weren't even a bad person."

Look back.

Rubbing his temples, Chen Shuo turned on his computer and scrolled through the transaction records and rumors compiled by the scouts.

Lakers acquire Steve Nash in trade

This deal should be the first major transaction in the free market.

With his contract expiring, Nash has designated the Lakers as his next team for a final push to pursue his dream. Phoenix fans sincerely wish the "Son of the Wind" a happy ending.

What interests Chen Shuo are the details of this deal.

The Lakers appear to have given up their first-round draft picks in 13 and 15, but both picks are heavily protected.

Especially the 15 draft picks, which were protected to the top five in 15, upgraded to top three protection in 16-17, and all protection was removed in 18.

Although in the original timeline, Mitch Kupchak, as a member of the "princeling" faction, made many incredible moves before leaving the Lakers, signing Mozgov and Luol Deng to long-term contracts, thus locking up the Lakers' salary cap space.

But his ability as general manager is undeniable. If the Lakers hadn't had such tight protection in the first round of the 15 draft, they wouldn't have had three second overall picks to build the team.

After all, he had been West's sidekick for many years, so learning a little bit was enough for him.

Another noteworthy point about this trade is that the Lakers did not send out any matching players, but instead used the trade exception generated from last year's trade for Odom to complete the balancing.

The second most important thing for scouts is the Joe Jensen trade.

[Hawks' star Joe Johnson traded to Nets to assist Deron Williams]

The Hawks acquired the Nets' protected first-round pick in 13, as well as the right to swap first-round picks in 14 and 15.

Shortly after this trade, the Hawks' performance declined rapidly, making it a huge loss. In the past two years, with the Russian oligarch's short-sighted mentality, the Nets have undoubtedly been the biggest sucker in the league.

Most of the other transactions were small-scale.

The Knicks were swept 4-0 by the Cavaliers in the playoffs, with Game 3 being a humiliating 58-point defeat at Madison Square Garden, exposing the appalling state of their bench.

At the start of the offseason, the Knicks became the loudest buyers in the free agent market.

The first trade involved a sign-and-trade of Novak and Felton from the Trail Blazers, followed by a three-year, $900 million contract with Kidd, focusing on strengthening their weakest position at point guard.

The image of the ball never getting to Carmelo Anthony's hands during the playoffs against the Cavaliers was a nightmare for almost every New York fan for several nights in a row.

Meanwhile, the Knicks have also been reported to be interested in a number of players, including Jason Terry, JR Smith, Ryan Anderson, and Chris Kaman.

The Knicks, who had been badly beaten by the Cavaliers, were eyeing everyone else with greed, looking like starving ghosts who would eat anything.

Of course, the Knicks do have the resources to do so. According to the New York Times, they will give up two second-round picks to let the Celtics take over Stephen Jackson's contract, which would free up nearly $1600 million in cap space.

This is also the source of their confidence to be interested in everyone.

Chen Shuo knew very well why these transactions were still just rumors or rumors.

Most teams with salary cap space are patiently waiting for a big fish. As long as Dwight Howard doesn't decide on a new team, these teams can't make any moves freely.

Despite the Knicks' lack of assets, they still hope that Howard will choose a team and join the Big Apple to form a Big Three.

If that day ever comes, Stephen Jackson's $1000 million contract will be the best tool to balance things out.

The Celtics are considering the same thing; they currently have enough cap space to acquire Howard in a trade.

Many teams shared this view, resulting in considerable restraint on the first day of free agency.

Chen Shuo paid close attention to the Houston Rockets' movements.

Morey waived Luis Scola's non-guaranteed contract and, while negotiating with the Raptors to send Kyle Lowry in return, ensured that the Rockets would still have the cap space to trade for Dwight Howard even after signing Jeremy Lin.

Chen Shuo looked through the Rockets' player roster.

Both Goran Dragic and Courtney Lee's rookie contracts have expired, and although Morey has vowed to re-sign them, he has yet to make an offer.

While keeping Dragic on the hook, Morey was also slowly pushing forward with the Lowry trade, waiting to see how things went with Jeremy Lin.

If the Cavaliers stop matching Jeremy Lin's offer, Morey will immediately trade Lowry and give up Dragic's eligibility for a contract extension, further reducing expenses and freeing up cap space.

There are limited good point guards in the free agent market this year. Felton is suitable for the pick-and-roll system, but he was targeted by the Knicks early on. The fact that the trade was completed so quickly is obviously because it was communicated in advance.

Old Kidd still has gas in the tank, and if the conditions are right, Chen Shuo would be very happy to sign him as the third point guard.

Veterans of this caliber have many uses, but unfortunately the Knicks beat them to it.

Among the remaining point guards, the only ones with decent skills are Dragic, Lowry, and Terry.

Goran Dragic is well-suited to pick-and-roll and run-and-gun systems, and can also integrate into the Cavaliers' offense as a pick-and-roll ball-handler. His defense is a bit lacking, but most importantly, Dragic's agent recently made a statement to reporters.

To sum it up in a lot of official jargon—

If you want to sign me, you'll have to pay more.

Chen Shuo vaguely remembered that Dragic's contract this season was worth seven or eight million.

If the Cavaliers sign him outright, they can only use the $500 million mid-level exception, which probably won't satisfy Dragic's appetite.

Even so, Garnett's annual salary dropped from $2100 million to $1000 million after his contract extension, reducing the Cavaliers' total salary by $1100 million. If Jeremy Lin does not renew his contract, the total salary of $6489 million will be lower than the luxury tax threshold of $7030 million, which would allow them to use the full mid-level exception.

If they don't sign a player outright, they can only sign and trade, but the Cavaliers can't offer players with matching contracts.

Every player on the team is a high-quality piece carefully selected by Chen Shuo.

Using the trade to balance the deal with the Rockets is not only a way to benefit Mo Gou, but it also hinders Chen Shuo's plan to eliminate Mo Gou later.

Chen Shuo silently crossed Dragic off the roster for reinforcements.

Basically, it's a choice between Terry and Lowry.

Terry is now a free agent, basically worth around $500 million. If no team jumps out and disrupts the market, the Cavaliers' mid-level exception will be enough to sign him.

However, using the mid-level exception will trigger a hard cap, and the total salary this season will absolutely not be allowed to exceed 7400 million.

The Jets are also a type of unpredictable player who fits the super sixth man mold. These types of players usually have a problem: their defense isn't very good, and their offense relies heavily on their shooting touch and lacks consistency. So, when they're on the bench and playing out of season, they can deliver tons of output.

It's barely usable for a knight.

Chen Shuo's gaze fell on the last player.

Kyle Lowry.

The small powerhouse is almost ready for maturity.

Lowry is also good at pick-and-rolls. At this stage, he mainly uses his body to drive into the paint after a pick-and-roll, but he can develop a decent three-point shot off the dribble later on.

On the defensive end, he is tough enough, with excellent one-on-one defense and switching ability, and he also has an Oscar-worthy ability to draw fouls.

Most importantly, Lowry's contract is only $575 million.

Lowry's conflict with head coach McHale became public at the end of last season, which is one of the reasons why the Rockets put Lowry on the trading block.

Chen Shuo took out the Cavaliers' pay stub and found that apart from Samuels' $122 million contract, there were no other players.

林书豪的合同倒是合适，只不过匹配报价后需要等到12月15日才能交易不说，匹配后这份合同就变成500、500、930、930的四年合同。

Given Mo Gou's cunning, he certainly wouldn't agree.

Moreover, there are just too many variables involved, and Chen Shuo doesn't want the team to have too many uncertainties next season.

Chen Shuo grabbed a handful of hair without any regard for his image.

Those familiar with Chen Shuo know that he usually rubs his temples when faced with difficult problems.

For a moment, Chen Shuo doubted whether he should let Jeremy Lin go, or if forcing him to stay would be a simpler solution.

He decided to rethink his approach.

What Chen Shuo needs to do now is find someone to fill the void left by Jeremy Lin.

The team was already short of players at the center and point guard positions.

Veteran Thomas announced his retirement immediately after winning the championship, and now Jeremy Lin is heading to the Space City.

This left the Cavaliers with no substitutes at the center and point guard positions.

and many more.

Colt Thomas.

Chen Shuo immediately pulled out the relevant information about Thomas.

Thomas signed a 1+1 contract last year.

This season is a player option, and Thomas is prepared to decline it.

Thomas and Samuels could be used as trade bait for Lowry, with some cash compensation to get the Rockets to waive Thomas later.

Thomas would probably be happy to make over a million dollars for free.

Chen Shuo found the details of Thomas and Samuels's contract.

Samuels was drafted by the Cavaliers in the second round, and the team can exercise their player option for the third year to bring out a $122 million contract.

Thomas's veteran minimum salary this season is $135 million, bringing his total to $257 million.

Chen Shuo rubbed the stubble on his chin.

According to the league's trade balancing rules, to acquire a $575 million contract, at least ($575—

10) / 175% = $322 million.

Chen Shuo directly instructed Amy to summon Grant.

"Execute Samuels' third year contract."

"I don't care if you use a second-round draft pick or cash, you just need to get me a contract worth more than $200 million."

He casually tossed the list of 09 rookies that Amy had just printed to Grant.

"This year should be the last year of the contracts for the 09 draft class. Go find those players that nobody wants. Their team options for the last year are mostly over $200 million."

""

"Remember, you only have three days."

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