Super Evolution of Basketball

Chapter 344 The Lakers Will Be Ruled by Kentucky
On the fourth day after the finals, on June 6, the draft was held as scheduled at the Barclays Center Arena in Brooklyn, New York.

Yuan Qingshan accompanied Murray and Labissiere to Barclays Center. Another Kentucky freshman, Garr, finally gave up running and did not come to New York.

The annual draft conference is a big event in the league, and the famous people from every team will come.

The Lakers Jenny Buss, Magic Johnson and Laughlin flew to New York a long time ago. Instead of sitting in the lobby, they requested a VIP box on the second floor.

Yuan Qingshan first brought Murray and Labissiere to the second floor to meet the boss and manager. Jenny Bass and Murray chatted casually, and seemed not very interested in the simple and honest Labissiere.

The magician asked a few questions in a stylized manner, and Murray answered fluently, while Labissière paused and seemed nervous.

A few minutes later, Yuan Qingshan took them to the venue downstairs to prepare.

After Yuan Qingshan left, Laughlin sat next to Jenny Buss and asked, "What do you think of Murray, I think it's good."

Jenny said angrily, "You mean you look good, right?"

Laughlin giggled: "Come on, how can it compare to my little green mountain?"

The magician's cell phone kept ringing, and the time before the draft was precious. Many big deals were made in just a few 10 minutes.

The magician hung up the phone and said to Jenny, "Angie from the Celtics called to say..."

"Stop!" Jenny raised her hand to interrupt the magician: "We will make a rule in the future: never talk to Danny Angie, OK?"

Laughlin was amused, and the magician reluctantly agreed. Angie actually wanted to inquire about Thomas Jr., the king of the fourth quarter.

Then his phone rang again.

"The Jazz want to trade the No. 12 pick up."

Jenny thought for a while and asked, "Does Jazz have any good bargaining chips?"

The magician has done a lot of homework and knows the high-quality chips of each team. He replied: "Hood, Burks? Forget it, this is not what we need."

Jenny: "Continuing the topic just now, Erwin, how about we take Murray with the 7th pick?"

The magician shook his head: "It is predicted that Murray will be the 10th pick, but the Kings and Raptors with the 8th and 9th picks may not choose him. It is said that they want a big man. Or should we trade down?"

Jenny Buss didn't answer right away, taking a risk in doing so.

The 10th pick belongs to the Bucks. They have Bayless, McAway and OJ Mayo on the back line. They seem to have a lot of soldiers, but they are still a bit weak compared to other teams' starting No. [-]. Maybe they are waiting for a backcourt.

The magician saw Jenny's doubts and explained: "Kidd wants a big man. He talked to me on the phone the night before, and we can trust him."

If this is the case, maybe you can reach an agreement with the Bucks, use the No. 7 pick to help them choose a desirable big man, and then use the No. 10 pick to select Murray, so that you can also get some benefits from the Bucks.

The Magic continued: "We can ask them for a young role player, or a future draft pick."

The Bucks are too young, and they have been stagnant for the past two years. To be honest, Antetokounmpo is just showing signs of breaking out, and there is no hope for next year. The first round is likely to be a lottery. This temptation is indeed great.

As for the role players, there is no need. The Lakers want to enrich the bench, as long as they sign in the free market, there is plenty of space.

"Erwin, what about the guys we tried out?" Jenny asked.

The magician recalled: "Ben Simmons and Ingram directly rejected our trial training. Jaylen Brown is very good, but he will definitely not fall to the 7th pick. Others, Dunn and Hield are not as good as Murray. I don't care too much about Chris. His talent is far inferior to the two insiders in our team. I deliberately released the wind and wanted to choose Chris. In fact, it was just to prepare for the downward trade pick."

The magician thought of something again, and added: "By the way, besides Labissier from Kentucky, there is also a guy named Brogdon who is also good. It is said that few teams give him a trial training opportunity, and he will almost certainly fall to the second round. But I like him very much. This kid is very stable, but he is a little older, three years older than Yuan Qingshan."

The second-round pick in the hands of the Lakers is late, and basically they can only find the signing rights of some overseas players. No matter how cheap Brogdon is, he will not fall to the 50th pick.

Jenny Buss: "Then let's have a good study with the Bucks. The No. 7 pick is replaced by the No. 10 pick, plus their second round this year and the first round next year, and the second round."

The magician hurriedly dialed the general manager of the Bucks, and a few words had the result: "The Bucks want to protect the top three picks in the first round next year, and also want our second round picks for this year and next year."

Jenny Buss made a decisive decision: "Okay, before the No. 5 pick is finished, if there is no better option, submit this to the league."

The magician hastened to prepare.

On the field, Yuan Qingshan and Downs sat in the back row, and Murray entered the small green room.

Murray looked left and right. There were plenty of NCAA Tournament opponents in the lottery who were now draft contenders.

Murray was familiar with Ingram, sat down next to him, touched his elbow and asked, "Brandon, I heard that you rejected the Lakers' trial training, why?"

Ingram answered in a low voice: "Their picks are late, and I'm the top pick. I can't be selected by them. Besides, the two rookies Towns and Yuan Qingshan in the Lakers team are the absolute core. They don't have the heart to train the rookies. Jamal, I advise you not to go to the Lakers. If they choose you, you will ask for a trade."

Murray's heart was already in Los Angeles, so he shook his head and said, "I hope I can join the Lakers."

Ingram looked at him like a fool: "You're not mistaken, are you confident that you can compete with Downs and Yuan Qingshan? They will definitely step on you hard."

Murray: "How come, they are my seniors."

Ingram suddenly realized: "How did I forget that you all came from Kentucky, it's over, the Lakers will be ruled by Kentucky!"

Murray smiled proudly. As soon as he joined the NBA, there were two heavyweight seniors on the team. Is there anything better than this?
At this time, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stepped onto the stage, and the draft officially began.

After Xiao Hua took over the NBA, he has been building a phenomenal team regardless of the life and death of others, and there are rumors that he will legalize gambling, so the outside world's evaluation of him is more negative than positive, and the players think he is far less friendly than Stern.

Xiao Hua's style is very capable, he doesn't feel like a president, but like a businessman who buys low and sells high, the top of his head is as bright as his metal spectacle frame, and the word "calculation" is almost engraved on it.

Adam Silver cleared his throat and announced loudly: "The Philadelphia 76ers selected...Ben Simmons with the No. [-] pick."

There was applause from the audience. This result was not unexpected at all. Ben Simmons walked onto the stage with a calm expression, and gracefully took the blue and white hat of the 76ers from the president.

The shutter of the camera kept ringing, and Downs sighed, and couldn't help but think of the scene when he took the stage as the No. [-] champion last year.

This is a moment of glory that lasts a lifetime.

The No. 76 pick has settled, and the [-]ers' talent has added another layer. After all, Ben Simmons' template is LeBron James.

Looking at Ben Simmons' enthusiastic smile on the stage, Yuan Qingshan suddenly realized that the 76ers are quietly becoming stronger as a youth army. If they are lucky enough, they may grow into a strong enemy of their own.

(End of this chapter)