NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 351 Changing the Alliance Landscape

Jia Fei has signed with the Clippers, confirming his next team as one of the two most anticipated free agents this summer (the other being Kevin Durant).

It turns out the Clippers traded 58 and Blake Griffin to acquire Jia Fei. No wonder they were so determined to make the trade; they had a backup plan. Those experts who thought the Clippers were going to rebuild were proven wrong. Ballmer refused to rebuild; he had more dollars than he could spend. By acquiring the 24-year-old superstar Jia Fei, he immediately completed a resource restructuring.

Along with Jia Fei, his good friend Art Mayork also joined the Clippers, signing a four-year, $27 million contract, with the final year being a player option.

Art Mayork joining the Clippers was a foregone conclusion, much like how everyone knew that Wang Wang would never let his younger brother sit idle.

Art Mayork's contract is the largest of his career to date. The Clippers signed him with a contract slightly above market value, which was clearly a show for Jia Fei.

Jia Fei's signing with the Clippers has sparked heated discussions both online and offline.

Charles Barkley, a well-known critic of Jawi, said: "Jawi left the Hawks, who nurtured him, for money. It was an act of desertion. He didn't dare to face the Cavaliers with their Big Three in the East. He went to the big city and joined Ballmer. He has become a businessman."

Former Clippers player Bao Pi said in an interview: "The Clippers management gave up Paul and Griffin for Jia Fei, which was the worst decision they made. The Clippers will have a hard time making the playoffs next season, and Jia Fei cannot lead this team to a championship."

Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen said in an interview: "Jia Fei has not proven that he can succeed with a team other than the Hawks, and I don't think he has a chance to get close to MJ. Nobody knows how he will be next season. The Clippers are taking too big a risk by betting on an Asian player like this."

In an interview, Michael Jordan, the "God of Basketball," said, "We didn't get JaVale, but I believe we can make the Finals next season. Predicting the Clippers' record next season? I don't think they'll make the playoffs. JaVale is like me? He's not like me. Let him win six championships before comparing us!"

Isaiah Thomas, nicknamed "The Smiling Assassin," asked, "How many championships did MJ win without Pippen? Was his career really only six years long?"

在贾飞承诺加盟快船后的第2天，也就是7月3日，波士顿凯尔特人队和艾尔·霍福德达成签约协议。双方将签下一份4年价值1.1亿美元其中2019-20赛季球员选项的大合同。

Al Horford is jokingly called a "basketball illiteracy detector" by fans because his ability has always been inconsistent with his reputation. He is unassuming and low-key, making people think he is just a role player. In fact, he is very good, and in today's small-ball era, his role is even more significant. This can be seen from his market value; he would only get more if he left the Hawks.

The Hawks lost Jia Fei and Horford, which greatly affected their strength. They are currently in a somewhat awkward position. A rebuild seems unlikely, but without a rebuild, it will be difficult for them to achieve anything in the Eastern Conference with their current roster.

On July 4th, another major piece of news came from the NBA free agency market: Kevin Durant, one of the Oklahoma City Thunder's young stars, will join the Golden State Warriors!

The contract is for two years and is worth a total of 54.3 million, with the second year being a player option.

But... nobody cares about that; everyone's talking about Durant joining the Warriors.

This is absolutely incredible, even more explosive than the Heat's Big Three back then. Yesterday, the news of Jia Fei joining the Clippers was quickly overshadowed by this news.

Du Xiaoshuai was just too fierce; he simply stopped playing and flipped the table.

Many predictions suggested that Durant would stay with the Thunder. After all, the Thunder are a strong team; last season in the Western Conference Finals, they led the 73-win Warriors 3-1. With some improvements this summer, they certainly have a chance. Unlike the Clippers, who have never had a chance to compete with the current Warriors, the Thunder almost defeated them.

Jia Fei wasn't too shocked by the news; the events of his past life had come true, and Durant had indeed gone to the Warriors.

Regarding this matter, Jia Fei felt it truly set a new low. Admittedly, loyalty to one team or the like is a luxury in a business league. Your loyalty doesn't guarantee your boss's loyalty, but leaving like Durant did is truly baffling.

This is typical utilitarianism. Among the championship contenders in the league, only the Warriors have the space, and the Warriors' weakest position is the small forward.

If Durant had left the Thunder, and had continued playing his hometown basketball, going to the Wizards, or to the Celtics, a historically great team that had been pursuing him, no one would have said anything against him. At most, it would have been said that he couldn't handle the pressure and was a bit soft. But his move to join the team that just defeated him in the playoffs really does feel like treason.

As a free agent, you are free to join any team with salary cap space. However, there are always some unwritten rules in this league. If you break them, your reputation will suffer, and that's something you have to bear.

Just like the Running Man cast back then, they banded together to support the team and got criticized relentlessly.

Durant's departure was also a departure, but it was the kind of departure that was even harder for fans and teammates to accept.

Jia Fei understands why he chose the Warriors over other teams; it's because he wants to win. Clearly, joining the Warriors is the closest he can get to winning a championship.

So why not join the defending champion Cavaliers? It's simple: the Cavaliers don't have cap space, and you can't expect Durant to take a minimum salary!

The Warriors acquired Durant, instantly becoming the biggest favorite to win the championship next season. Good grief, a 73-win team plus a prime Durant—who can beat them?

Of course, this team isn't without weaknesses, but they are very, very small.

While Jia Fei was still lamenting the Durant joining the Warriors, he received a call from Clippers general manager Michael Wenger: "Mr. Jia, Lou Williams has had conflicts with you before. Should we trade him?"

Jia Fei almost couldn't believe his ears. Damn it, you guys need to ask for my opinion on who to trade? It seems Ballmer really wasn't joking. They really intend to involve Jia Fei in the team's operations, and his opinion will become very important.

If Michael Wenger hadn't reminded him, Jia Fei would have quickly forgotten about his past conflict with Lou Williams. He remembered that the Hawks had traded Williams to acquire him, allowing Jia to get the number 3 jersey.

That happened a long time ago, and Lou Williams no longer wears the number 3 jersey. The two haven't had much contact since. Who would have thought that Lou Williams would go from the Rockets to the Clippers in the 58 trade? Sometimes it's really hard to believe that this would actually happen.