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

In late June, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, was brightly lit.

The 2014 NBA Draft officially kicked off here.

Compared to the Cavaliers' impressive draft picks in recent years, this year's Cleveland front office appears unusually low-key and lethargic.

As the league's dominant force that just won two consecutive championships and boasted a 70-win regular season, the Cavaliers' first-round pick this year was naturally the undisputed 30th overall.

In addition, a second-round draft pick (36th overall) acquired through a trade.

The team's roster already boasts an unbeatable starting five: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, and Marc Gasol.

The bench also featured Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Shaun Livingston, Patrick Beverley, Marcus Speights, and the legendary duo of Vince Carter and Ray Allen.

The list of 13 players is so extensive that even describing it as "unfathomable" seems inadequate.

Therefore, before this draft, Su Yang gave General Manager Grant a very clear instruction: this year, do not make any big moves or trade upwards. Just use the late first-round and second-round picks to find two "blind boxes" and fill the last two spots.

The atmosphere in the Cavaliers' draft tactical room was as relaxed as a tea party.

Su Yang leaned back in the boss's chair, sipping his coffee while watching Adam Silver walk onto the stage on the big screen to announce the previous draft results.

"Andrew Wiggins went to the Timberwolves, Jabari Parker went to the Bucks, and Joel Embiid ended up with the Philadelphia 76ers..."

Watching these familiar names go to their designated places in an orderly manner, Su Yang nodded in satisfaction.

"Boss, we're almost at the end of the first round. Who's your pick with the 30th pick?"

Grant, holding a stack of scouting reports, approached Su Yang for instructions.

"Find a forward who can orchestrate the offense from the bench."

Su Yang pointed to the tactical plan on the whiteboard, "Next season will be our last dance in Cleveland. To ensure the absolute health of our starters in the playoffs, I plan to further reduce the playing time of our starting five in the new season, and take 'health-preserving basketball' and rest rotation to the extreme!"

"On the bench, we need to give Giannis more playing time so he can pad his stats and improve his game. But Giannis's technique is still too rough; he just charges in with the ball. He needs a playmaker who can control the tempo and feed him the ball."

Su Yang opened the file and circled a photo of a mixed-race young man.

"Kyle Anderson, a forward from UCLA."

"Although this guy is as slow as an old man practicing Tai Chi and his athleticism is mediocre, his basketball IQ and passing vision are absolutely top-notch. He can complement Giannis perfectly in the second unit and control the rhythm of the bench."

Upon hearing Su Yang's analysis, Grant nodded repeatedly: "Boss is brilliant! Kyle Anderson's projected draft position is right at the end of the first round or the beginning of the second round. Drafting him at the 30th pick is absolutely a sure thing!"

however.

Just as the Cavaliers' front office was sitting back, ready to draft this "human essence" with the 30th pick.

On the big television screen, Adam Silver once again stepped onto the podium to deliver his speech.

"In the 2014 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs selected... Kyle Anderson from UCLA!"

"puff--!"

Su Yang spat out the mouthful of coffee he had just taken a sip of.

"Damn it! That old scoundrel!"

Su Yang watched the screen as Popovich and Spurs general manager RC Buford high-fived each other in celebration and couldn't help but chuckle and curse.

He seems to have forgotten that in the original timeline, Kyle Anderson was originally drafted by the Spurs!

He thought the butterfly effect he had created in the league over the past few years would cause a slight deviation in the Spurs' draft order, but unexpectedly, Popovich's sharp eye still locked onto this slow-paced wizard with extremely high basketball IQ.

"Boss... Anderson's been snatched up by the Spurs! What do we do?"

Grant was dumbfounded. They had absolutely no trade assets left to move up the value chain, and could only watch helplessly as their desired player was snatched away by their Western Conference rivals.

"Well, it's not so easy for someone who's been chosen by Popovich to get a bargain."

Su Yang took out a tissue and wiped his mouth, not showing much annoyance.

In this Cavaliers team overflowing with talent, even if Lee Kyle were to join, it would be icing on the cake; if he were to miss out, it wouldn't be a big deal.

"Let's activate Plan B."

Su Yang quickly glanced at the remaining roster, then pointed to the name of a white shooter and said, "30th pick, Joe Harris."

"Joe Harris? That pure shooter from the University of Virginia?"

Grant paused for a moment. "Boss, our team has no shortage of shooters. Stephen, Klay, Ray Allen, Middleton... even if we draft him, we won't be able to squeeze out enough playing time, will we?"

"If you can't squeeze it out, then put him on the bench to practice slowly. Let him learn off-the-ball movement from Klay and Ray Allen every day."

Su Yang's calculations were meticulous: "Joe Harrell's three-point shooting is very clean. In this spacing system, even if he comes on during garbage time to shoot a few open threes, he can still rack up a very impressive shooting percentage."

"Once he develops some skills, his trade value will increase. At that point, any team that's short of shooters can easily trade him for a few second-round picks or future first-round pick swaps, and they'll make a guaranteed profit."

Grant suddenly realized.

This isn't a talent show; it's clearly a hoarding of high-quality financial products!

"Understood! I'll report it to the Alliance right away!"

A few minutes later, the Cavaliers drafted Joe Harris with the 30th pick without any surprises.

With the conclusion of the first round of the draft, media attention began to decline rapidly.

Second-round picks are seen by most as nothing more than disposable assets used by teams to fill roster spots and send players down to the G League.

Soon, the time came to the 36th pick in the second round.

"Boss, it's our second-round pick. Who should we choose?" Grant yawned and asked casually.

Su Yang's expression became more serious than ever before at this moment.

He pulled out a scouting report that he had kept hidden away and handed it to Grant.

"Nikola Jokic."

Su Yang pronounced the name slowly and deliberately, "Immediately, right now, lock onto him."

Grant took the report and glanced at it; his expression was even more unpleasant than if he had eaten a bitter melon.

"Boss, are you serious?"

Grant pointed to the picture of the chubby, white Serbian man with a large belly and an unhealthy appearance on the report, his face full of confusion:

"I told you before, this Jokic... his physical test data is a complete disaster! He's all fat, and supposedly drinks three liters of Coca-Cola every day! He can't even keep up with a standard fast break shuttle run!"

"and……"

Grant paused for a moment, then raised his biggest concern: "The scouts in Europe say that this kid is very lazy, and he's currently playing in the Adriatic League in Serbia."

"These second-round picks from Europe are often arrogant and unwilling to immediately come to the NBA and sit on the bench. Even if we draft him, he most likely won't want to sign with us right away; he'll definitely choose to stay in Europe and continue playing!"

"Using a high-round second-round pick to select a fat guy who might not even come to the US is a complete waste of draft picks, isn't it?"

"Grant, weren't you just lamenting that the Spurs snatched Kyle Anderson from us?"

Listening to the general manager's complaints, Su Yang countered with a seemingly unrelated question: "Do you know who the Spurs selected in the second round, 57th overall, in the 1999 NBA draft?"

Grant paused for a moment, then, as a seasoned basketball manager, instinctively replied, "Manu Ginobili."

"That's right, Manu Ginobili."

Su Yang snapped his fingers. "Back then, nobody had high hopes for that thick-haired Argentinian. After the Spurs drafted him, Ginobili didn't immediately join the NBA either, but instead stayed in European leagues to hone his skills."

"Popovich waited for him in San Antonio for a full two years!"

"And two years later, when that 'Pampas Eagle' descended upon Texas, you should know very well what he brought to the Spurs."

"Since Popovich has the guts to wait two whole years for an Argentinian second-round pick."

"Then why can't I, Su Yang, wait a little longer for this fat Serbian guy?"

"Don't even mention him not wanting to come right away; even if he wanted to come now, I'd still think his flabby frame would slow down our race for a three-peat next season!"

Su Yang waved his hand domineeringly: "Select him! Lock his signing rights in a safe in Cleveland!"

"Let him focus on losing weight and improving his skills in Europe! In a year or two, when Marc Gasol gets older, he'll naturally receive our call to crown him!"

Seeing the unquestionable look in his boss's eyes, Grant fell silent. He knew he couldn't change what his boss had decided.

"Yes, boss! I'll do it right away!"

The Cavaliers locked in Nikola Jokic with the 36th overall pick.

This super team, aiming to establish a three-peat dynasty, has pieced together the strongest piece of the puzzle in terms of the frontcourt for the next decade.

The 2014-2015 season is about to begin amidst turbulent undercurrents.

"Los Angeles's Galacticos? LeBron's revenge?"

Su Yang looked at the full list of 15 people on his desk and gave a cold smile.

"Prepare to face the cruelty of the universe's deepest depth."