I just play ball

Chapter 378 The New Lineup
The recruitment work came to an end, Li Yue got a lot of rest time, the gym became a place he frequented, and he paid little attention to what happened to the outside world. Taylor sent the proposed contract to Kupchak as planned, and got a reply that he would definitely do it.

In the early morning of July 7, Li Yue got up to cook as usual, and turned on the TV to listen to ESPN news.

After listening for half an hour, I didn't get much useful information, because LeBron, the biggest player in the free market, has not yet made a decision. Many teams and many players wait until he speaks before proceeding to the next move.

In addition, another big name, Carmelo Anthony, has not yet started the "National Tour Plan", and the entire free market is in a calm state before the storm. Only some restricted free agents have reached a verbal contract renewal agreement with their home team in advance, such as Avery Brown. Radley reached a four-year $4 million contract with the Celtics, and some lesser-known players found new teams, such as Ben Gordon and the Magic reached a two-year $3200 million verbal agreement...

As the news broadcast continued, Li Yue suddenly heard that his old teammate Jodi Meeks' wish had come true and received a three-year $3 million contract from the Pistons.

Li Yue took out his mobile phone and sincerely congratulated Jodimix, and received a thank you reply in an instant.

Just after putting down the phone, the news broadcast mentioned that Livingston and the Warriors reached a signing intention. The new contract lasts for three years and the total amount is as high as 1600 million US dollars. The host commented that this is a very high-level signing, because Livingston can serve as both Curry led the Warriors second team off the bench, and he was able to start with Curry when Thompson was traded.

Li Yue also sent a text message to express his congratulations, and Livingston quickly responded with thanks.

Steve Blake sent a message that he would reach a contract with the Blazers, and the Lakers didn't need to think about him.

Li Yue called to express his thanks and wished Blake all the best in the Trail Blazers.

Perhaps because it was learned that two players had left the Lakers, the host invited guests to provide suggestions for the Lakers to strengthen.

The bald guest thinks that the Lakers' salary space is tight, and the first task is to give Li Yue a maximum salary, so the appeal to free agents is very limited. They can only sign players with a minimum salary as soon as other teams have completed their selection.

The curly-haired guest agreed with the bald-headed guest, and suggested that he could try to contact Bazemore. As a substitute for Kobe and Iguodala, he has enough ability to play for about 10 minutes in each game. The key is plug and play.

Hearing such a suggestion, Li Yue clapped his hands. The team had indeed drafted Bazemore as a candidate. What he was looking for was Bazemore's three-point shooting from the bottom corner and the wing. Puts a lot of pressure on the ball handler.

However, Bazemore's defensive willingness is low, and he may prefer teams that can easily score points.

After breakfast, Li Yue received a call from Iguodala and was told that Ed Davis had arrived in Los Angeles as scheduled.

The recruitment work restarted, the two met on the Avenue of Stars, picked up Ed Davis and went straight to Marbury Beach.

The negotiation process was easy and pleasant. Ed Davis is willing to accept the offer of a basic salary contract, and there is only one requirement, that is, to be able to get a stable playing time, with an average of no less than 15 minutes per game. I hope it can be written into the contract.

It sounds a little weird, and Li Yue can understand it. Davis was a member of North Carolina who won the championship in college. He entered the NBA as the 13th pick in the lottery. He averaged 7.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in his rookie season, but unfortunately he was not reused later. , Even after being traded to the Grizzlies by the Raptors last season, his playing time was greatly reduced, averaging only 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

To make matters worse, the Grizzlies did not offer a contract. Davis urgently needs to prove himself, so the first contract after the end of the rookie contract can accept the basic salary, but the playing time must be guaranteed, otherwise his career is in jeopardy.

The two dare not make promises, because Beasley will often play as a power forward in the new season, and 15 minutes seems to be relatively short, but it is really not that easy to count, unless garbage time often occurs.

After struggling for a while, Li Yue changed his mind and promised to create more easy scoring opportunities for Davis every time he was on the same stage. After all, Davis sought playing time to improve his personal data, but it could not be written into the contract. reputation as a guarantee.

Iguodala then made the same promise, perhaps because the previous performance of the two was convincing enough. Davis chose to accept the invitation after calling his agent, which was a verbal agreement, and Li Yue immediately hosted a dinner.

During the chat, Kupchak called and informed that the team had reached a signing intention with Bazemore.

Li Yue told Davis along the topic that he had agreed to join the Lakers, and Kupchak was ecstatic.

The new lineup of the Lakers is basically completed, namely centers Gasol, Gobert, Jokic, power forwards Landry, Ed Davis, Beasley, small forwards Li Yue, Nick Young, Covington, Shooting guard Kobe, Iguodala, Bazemore, point guard Marshall, Clarkson, Nash, and Nash will retire, and there is still a vacancy.

There is no need to rush to sign a contract at all. First, the team's salary space is tight, and second, it can wait until the mid-term operation.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Li Yue returned to the apartment, took a nap, and woke up to see that Taylor hadn't answered the phone.

As soon as the call was made, there was a tidy cheer of "congratulations" from the other end of the phone. It turned out that Kupchak had agreed to the previously drawn contract, and the signing ceremony could be held at any time, and the schedule depended on Li Yue's wishes.

WOJ broke the news through Twitter 5 minutes later that Li Yue and the Lakers reached a maximum salary extension. This matter did not cause much discussion, because this matter has no suspense and will not bring any impact on the free market, only a large number of Lakers fans Forward.

But as WOJ announced that Bazemore and Ed Davis joined the Lakers, Gasol, Beasley, Marshall, and Nick Young stayed with the Lakers. The speed at which the Lakers completed the lineup in only one day finally made the public discuss one after another.

[Steven A. Smith tweeted: This is the difference between the top giants and ordinary teams. They have a perfect plan, the goal is extremely accurate, and the execution is extremely fast. The coaching team can get more time for tactical design. The players can have More time to run in, while ordinary teams are still struggling to pursue big fish in the free market. 】

[Mark Stein tweeted: The Lakers completed the lineup formation at the same speed last year, and several transactions in the middle of the season also hit the key points. Li Yue played a great role in this. He personally recruited as the FMVP of two consecutive A minimum salary player, this is something that no one in the league has ever done. 】

[Chris Bunty tweeted: The reason for this fast is very simple. After the Lakers gave Li Yue the maximum salary, although they used the bird rights to renew the contract, it will inevitably exceed the salary cap limit. They can only sign with the basic salary and special cases. Think too much. 】

This matter became a hot topic, Li Yue glanced at it and quit Twitter, and began to think about buying a house.

Targeting a high-end apartment should be regarded as a reward for his long-term struggle, and the price should not exceed tens of millions of dollars. Taylor should be responsible, and he can just concentrate on training and continue to prepare for the trip back to China.

(End of this chapter)