LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Oracle Arena, Oakland, California

On a large screen in the room, the NBA draft was being broadcast live.

Larry Riley, the general manager of the Golden State Warriors, is ready to make a call to inform the league office of the Warriors' 11th overall pick.

All of Klay Thompson's information was posted on the side blackboard by members of the draft strategy team: his physical attributes, combine results, college performance, technical strengths and weaknesses, family background, role positioning, etc.

In the most prominent place, a summary scouting report is presented.

"A physically imposing shooting guard with lightning-fast jump shot speed, capable of reaching the NBA three-point line."

"He has poor ball control, but he has the ability to shoot directly without dribbling or adjusting, and his shooting efficiency was excellent during college."

"His excellent physique provides him with good defensive ability, and his excellent court positioning gives him the potential to become a top perimeter defender."

"..."

Everyone is busy making final preparations for the draft.

Only the team's senior advisor West and the new owner Lacob sat in the back row, chatting casually and discussing the choices of other teams.

"The Kings should select Jimmer Fredette, which is our last pick, and we can easily get Klay Thompson."

In contrast to Lacob's excitement, West remained calm and composed.

Although the strategy of selecting Clay was led by him, acquiring this elite college shooter was something West expected and not a surprise.

He had weathered countless storms and led the rise and fall of dynasties; this little thing was not enough to make him overjoyed.

On the screen showing the audition, Stern walked to the front of the stage again, grabbed the microphone, and without keeping anyone in suspense, began to speak directly:

"In the 2011 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings selected Klay Thompson from Washington State University with the 10th overall pick."

Lacob's joy froze instantly, and he turned to look at West beside him:

"What are the Kings doing? Aren't they targeting Fredette?"

Klay Thompson is of great importance to the team, and he has shown excellent performance in the tryouts, making him an integral part of the team's future.

West remained calm and, after some thought, offered his guess:

"It's possible that the information was leaked from within, and the king knows our target and wants to make a small profit from it."

"This is very common; some managers like to nitpick on these details."

In contrast, West is more concerned with the overall situation and does not care about the gains or losses of a single city or place.

"Let's wait for their call and not submit our choice yet."

West understood that in situations like this, the more impatient he was, the more vulnerable he was to being taken advantage of; it was best to wait for the Kings to make the first move.

The old man made the decision, and everyone on the Warriors stopped what they were doing.

The noise in the room disappeared, and it suddenly became quiet, as if the air itself had solidified.

All you can see is the watch hand moving forward second by second.

General Manager Larry Riley stared nervously at the phone.

Suddenly, the scout in charge of compiling rookie information pointed at the screen:

"Look!"

In an instant, everyone's eyes were drawn to the screen.

After the staff handed Thompson a Kings hat, he quickly took it back, looking apologetic and explaining something. Instead, he received a Cleveland Cavaliers hat.

A transaction has taken place.

Riley glanced at the time, not having time to inquire about the details of the deal, and turned to look directly at West and Lacob.

"We have about 1 minute and 30 seconds left."

West frowned; the Cavaliers had drafted another rookie.

Although West was not optimistic about Chen Shuo's goals, saying that the Cavaliers would have a hard time making the playoffs, he also understood that the Cavaliers wanted to take the route of rapid rebuilding.

Of the top ten picks, the Cavaliers have only selected three rookies. How competitive can they be with just these rookies?

The thought flashed through his mind, but West quickly shifted his attention to the ongoing draft.

In his view, Klay Thompson was a sure thing, and the team's first backup player was Tristan Thompson, who was selected by the Bobcats with the 7th overall pick.

As for the other rookies, the Warriors didn't spend much effort gathering information on them.

After some internal struggle, West immediately made the decision:

"We choose Jimmer Fredette."

West was aware of the Kings' thinking, and the Kings' management had previously been quite optimistic about Fredette.

Most likely, they've only been swayed by the Cavaliers' offer, which doesn't mean they've given up on Fredette.

The Warriors selected Fredette and will observe him for a while. If he doesn't fit the bill, they still have a chance to ask the Kings to trade him.

Riley looked at West and immediately dialed the New York Union office.

At this moment, the commissioner on the other side spoke up:

"We've got the news; the Knights and the King have made a big deal."

"They traded Hickson and next year's unprotected first-round pick to the Kings for this year's 10th pick, next year's unprotected first-round pick, and Casspi."

"In addition, the Cavaliers also gave up a second-round pick from this year and Ianka."

West's eyes began to dart around as he weighed the pros and cons of the deal.

Add-ons like Ainga and Kaspi are negligible.

If Hickson and the second-round pick are combined, the Kings will get the 10th pick this year, which might be a slight loss for the Kings.

In West's view, the two teams are about the same strength, and there is no difference if they are directly swapped in the first round next year.

But West had also guessed the Kings' thoughts.

The Kings' management definitely has no confidence in Chen Shuo and the Cavaliers' current roster, believing that the Cavaliers' draft pick next year will likely be close to the top three.

After swapping first-round picks, the Kings can stop tanking and strive for a strong record, which will allow them to secure a high draft pick and win games to boost ticket sales.

However, West almost instinctively felt that the king was probably about to miscalculate.

Chen Shuo seems unreliable, but he is indeed a troublemaker, and things are getting interesting.

West is already looking forward to this offseason.

"In the 2011 NBA Draft, the Warriors selected Jimmer Fredette from Brigham Young University with the 11th overall pick."

Chen Shuo raised an eyebrow; the Warriors' choice was something he hadn't expected.

Lonely Godzilla was a renowned scorer in the NCAA, only slightly inferior to Curry's scoring explosiveness during his college years, but the Warriors already have Curry.

Even if they've decided to trade Ellis, the backcourt duo of Curry and Lonely God can't play well.

Even after Curry gained muscle and improved his defense, his physique was still a limitation, not to mention that Lonely Planet is not even as tall as Curry.

Having achieved his goal, Chen Shuo silently got up and left the talent show venue.

According to Grant's information, the person he wanted to see was already waiting for him at the destination.

On this eve of impending storm, there is still much to be done.

……

A dark and narrow alley in Midtown Manhattan, so dark that even the splendor of Fifth Avenue cannot be illuminated.

Above the walnut window frame, a rusty, copper-green wall lamp provided a faint light.

Through the sunburst-patterned glass, the waiters lined up, quietly and orderly busying themselves.

The dishes were arranged one by one on the long table: Neapolitan pizza, braised veal shank, wild boar sauce fettuccine, thin slices of raw beef with Parmesan cheese...

Once the waiter left, the dim light shone on the dishes, and soon the long table returned to silence.

Chen Shuo scanned everyone's faces one by one.

As the top draft pick, Kyrie Irving's dark, youthful face radiated an irrepressible excitement, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.

The person next to him looked completely indifferent, as if he were trying to look down on everyone, as if he didn't care what anyone did.

Chen Shuo's gaze continued to move.

The next one had a really unpleasant face; you couldn't tell his expression, his joy or anger, his silent, bitter face was like a black hole.

The player behind him had a long face and a serious expression. When he saw Chen Shuo's gaze coming over, he immediately went up to him and tried his best to show himself.

The last one looked more bewildered and confused, with a head of neat, dark blonde short hair, a typical Southern California handsome guy.

Their expressions varied and their thoughts differed, yet they all remained silent in the dimly lit old house, waiting for Chen Shuo, who was in the lead, to speak.