LeBron James running away? He's going all in on Curry.

June 23, 2011, Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey.

The annual NBA draft has officially begun.

For the past month or so, Su Yang instructed the Cavaliers' public relations department to launch a massive, frenzied campaign to hype up Kyrie Irving across the United States.

At this moment, the value and popularity of this talented point guard from Duke University have been pushed to an exaggerated peak.

"The next Allen Iverson!"

"Any team that misses out on Kyrie Irving will regret it for the rest of their lives!"

The headlines of major sports media outlets across the United States all emphasized Kyrie Irving's irreplaceable status.

This has caused all teams in the league that lack a core point guard to suffer from a severe "fear of missing out".

Inside the Cavaliers' exclusive luxury suite.

General Manager Chris Grant is holding three draft picks tightly in his hands—the number one pick, the number four pick, and the number twenty-ninth pick.

His eyes gleamed with barely concealed excitement as he looked at Su Yang, who stood languidly beside him.

"Boss, the workout results were perfect! Kyrie Irving's ball-handling skills are simply a work of art! As soon as David Stern steps onto the stage, we'll hand over the number one pick, and this talented guard will be Cleveland's!"

Grant rubbed his hands together excitedly. "As for the fourth pick, we can select a promising big man, like Tristan Thompson or Jonas Valanciunas..."

"Wipe your drool, Grant."

Su Yang gently swirled the red wine in his wine glass, his gaze drifting down through the one-way glass of the private room to the bustling audition hall below.

"Who told you I absolutely had to choose Irving?"

"Uh... Ah?!" Grant's smile froze instantly. "But boss, we've spent a whole month hyping him up! If we miss out on Irving, the whole league will think we're crazy!"

"There is only one purpose to hype up a product: to cash out at its most valuable point."

Su Yang turned his head, his eyes sharp as an eagle eyeing its prey.

"I've said it before, there's only one core player in our tactics, and that's Stephen Curry."

"Listen up, Grant. I need you to pick up the phone right now and dial the general managers of the Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies. Tell them that Cleveland is ready to liquidate all its assets!"

"We'll use the top pick, the fourth pick, and the twenty-ninth pick as our core trading assets!"

Grant felt a wave of dizziness wash over him: "All...all sold?! Boss, what do you want?!"

"I want two players who can contribute immediately, plus two mid-first-round draft picks."

Su Yang walked to the tactics board, picked up a marker, and quickly wrote down two names.

"The first one is Paul Millsap, the power forward for the Utah Jazz."

"The Utahs just traded Deron Williams this February, and they're more eager than anyone to acquire a cornerstone point guard! Their frontcourt already has Al Jefferson, and they've also brought in Derrick Favors. Millsap is a premium asset for them, completely overlapping with their position!"

"Sign the number one pick for them and let them draft Irving! Bring Millsap back to me! And at the same time, squeeze a hefty draft pick compensation out of them!"

Grant swallowed hard. Although he thought the trade was too bold, the Utah Jazz were absolutely willing to give everything for Irving!

"The second name."

Su Yang tapped the whiteboard heavily with his pen: "Memphis Grizzlies' starting center, Marc Gasol."

"But boss!" Grant hurriedly reminded him, "Marc Gasol is a restricted free agent this summer, Memphis can't let him go!"

"No, they'll let them go. Because they're Memphis, one of the stingiest small-market teams in the entire league!"

Su Yang sneered, "Marc Gasol is about to sign a multi-million dollar max contract, and Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is unwilling to pay the luxury tax! He's using the 4th and 29th picks as bait to lure third or even fourth teams into multi-team trades! If the Grizzlies can get a cheap and effective high draft pick and avoid the luxury tax, they'll definitely agree to a sign-and-trade!"

Looking at the two names on the tactics board, Grant couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Paul Millsap! Marc Gasol!

One is an all-around power forward with top-notch help defense awareness, capable of playing inside and outside, and extremely high basketball IQ.

One is a 2.16-meter-tall heavy tank who can not only fight in the paint, but also has excellent high post playmaking and passing ability!

If these two players were to arrive in Cleveland, combined with Curry's three-point shooting...

"Boss, I understand!" Grant's blood was boiling. "So, what about the mid-first-round pick we got back? Who should we pick?"

"Use the pick you get back in the trade to get a shooting guard named Klay Thompson around the 10th pick."

"Then, around the 13th pick, pick Kawhi Leonard for me!"

Grant was numb to hearing these two completely unfamiliar names.

This young and wealthy boss was always willful, and he knew that even if he told his boss, the boss wouldn't listen.

"I'll get right on it! Give me ten minutes!"

Grant rushed to his desk, grabbed the phone, and began frantically making transatlantic calls and negotiating with various parties.

……

The scene in the talent show hall.

Just five minutes before David Stern was about to take the stage to announce the winner of the 2011 NBA draft.

The alliance office suddenly received several shocking reports of a series of transactions!

When Stern stood in front of the microphone under the spotlight with the envelope in hand, all the cameras were pointed at him.

But the old CEO didn't announce the draft results directly. He took a deep breath and spoke in a tone that even he found unbelievable:

"Ladies and gentlemen, before announcing the number one draft pick, I must first inform you of a trade that has just been completed involving four teams!"

These words caused an uproar in the room!

"The Cleveland Cavaliers traded away this year's first overall pick, fourth overall pick, and 29th overall pick..."

Stern's voice echoed through the spacious arena: "In exchange, the Cavaliers will acquire forward Paul Millsap from the Utah Jazz! Center Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies via a sign-and-trade! And the 10th and 13th picks in this year's draft!"

The entire Prudential Center stadium erupted in cheers!

Commentators across the US almost simultaneously screamed at the top of their lungs!

"They've gone mad! Cleveland has completely gone mad! They actually traded their number one and number four picks?!"

"Give up Kyrie Irving for two interior players who have no superstar potential? Has Su Yang lost his mind?!"

"OMG! The Utah Jazz have hit the jackpot! They got Kyrie Irving!"

The talent show continued in an atmosphere that was almost absurd and manic.

The Utah Jazz unsurprisingly selected Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick, while the Memphis Grizzlies also secured their desired low-cost, high-potential rookie with a high draft pick.

Soon, the time came to the 10th pick in the first round.

Stern returned to the stage: "The Cleveland Cavaliers have selected... shooting guard Klay Thompson from Washington State University with the 10th overall pick!"

Next up is the 13th pick.

"The Cleveland Cavaliers have selected... forward Kawhi Leonard from San Diego State University!"

When the two names were announced, the live broadcast cameras couldn't even find any highlights of the two rookies for a moment.

"A shooter with perfect shooting form but mediocre physical attributes? A stoic forward who can't even dribble properly?"

ESPN's draft expert mercilessly mocked on television: "Looks like we overestimated the Cavaliers' new owner's intelligence. He traded a super asset that could change the team's future for the next decade for a bunch of inexplicable pieces. Cleveland, get ready to stay at the bottom!"

Su Yang didn't care about the ridicule from the outside world.

He stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, took a cigar out of the inside pocket of his suit, and General Manager Grant fawned over him and lit it for him.

Su Yang took a deep breath of the rich smoke and slowly exhaled.

At this moment, the starting lineup for the Cavaliers next season had already appeared in his mind.

Point Guard: Stephen Curry

Shooting Guard: Klay Thompson

Small Forward: Kawhi Leonard

Power Forward: Paul Millsap

Center: Marc Gasol

On the bench sat Beverley, Danny Green, the 3D power forward DeAndre Jordan, and Shane Battier, the master of drawing fouls!

Shooting, defense, playmaking, and switching on defense indefinitely.

This lineup not only represents the ultimate, enhanced version of the Warriors' "Death Lineup" in the future, but also perfectly aligns with all the development trends of modern basketball!