boyutpedia Chapter 43 Late-Night Breaking News, WoJ: Rockets Want to Trade Wang Xiucheng
Chapter 43 Late-Night Breaking News, WoJ: Rockets Want to Trade Wang Xiucheng
Stone wasn't angry that Patrick called him by his first name.
He only knew that Patrick was now seriously asking him to watch the video.
Forget it, it's not good to argue with Patrick. I'll just do it for his father's sake.
So Stone sat down at the computer.
Patrick didn't leave either. He moved a chair to the window, enjoying the breeze while smoking a Golden Hundred cigar that cost several thousand dollars.
He got the cigar from his father; he usually doesn't smoke it.
But today is my first day in office, so it's okay to splurge a little.
As time went on, Stone's expression became increasingly interesting.
One moment he was covering his head, the next he was shaking his head, and then he suddenly stood up!
Patrick still didn't look at him, as if he had expected him to do so.
An hour later, Stone finished watching the video, and he even watched some of the highlights again.
"Wang Xiucheng can dunk from the free-throw line, does that mean he lacks sportsmanship?"
"Wang Xiucheng averages 7 minutes and 4 assists per game. Is he selfish?"
As soon as Patrick finished speaking, Stone subconsciously shook his head.
After watching these videos, his perception of Wang Xiucheng changed.
Stone regretted not watching all the videos before making the decision to trade with Wang Xiucheng.
From the moment Wang Xiucheng first appeared on the court, he improved in almost every match.
When Jalen Green and Wang Xiucheng were on the court together, he had a smile on his face.
But when he's with Porter Jr., he looks serious, as if the future is uncertain.
Doesn't this explain the problem?
Stone admitted that he underestimated Wang Xiucheng's potential and strength, but he still doesn't think that Porter Jr. is much worse than Wang Xiucheng.
Porter Jr.'s defense is better.
Yes, Stone has finally found out where Porter Jr. is better than Wang Xiucheng.
“Call Silas. Wang Xiucheng should play at least 25 minutes per game. He should be developed like a lottery pick. Let him partner with Green Shenjing more often.”
Patrick stood up, put the chair back in its original position, and then gave his final instructions.
He had said everything he needed to say, and he was confident that Stone could handle the rest.
After watching Patrick leave, Stone didn't immediately call Silas. Instead, he looked through all the documents on the table.
"They're all related to Wang Xiucheng."
Stone was quite surprised that a rookie could keep the entire team so busy.
These documents include those from other teams wanting to trade for Wang Xiucheng, Silas's suggestion to start Wang Xiucheng, the scouting department's updated report on Wang Xiucheng, and the team doctor's report requesting a comprehensive physical examination for Wang Xiucheng.
The Rockets haven't been this busy with a rookie in a long time.
“In the two weeks I was away, Wang Xiucheng became the target of every team?” Stone still found it hard to believe.
Although he could no longer trade Wang Xiucheng, Stone still wanted to know exactly how much Wang Xiucheng was worth.
So he found Warriors manager Myers' phone number and called him with a bit of trepidation.
He was afraid that the other party would offer Wang Xiucheng a high price, which would make him look like an idiot, especially when he remembered Pelinka's compliments to him.
It felt like a series of resounding slaps to my face.
“Dear Mr. Stone, I heard you’re on vacation. How’s it going?” Miles answered the phone quickly, and the sound of clinking knives and forks could be heard from the other end, as if he were having a meal.
"No need to waste time, the Lakers just traded two first-round picks, Garrett and Wang Xiucheng." Stone wasn't in the mood to waste time and went straight to the point.
"Lakers?" Miles was slightly surprised, then heard the sound of a chair being moved.
Miles seemed to have changed his location before saying, "You sound like you're in a bad mood. Don't believe what that old fox Pelinka says. As long as James is with the Lakers, the Lakers won't be able to get any good assets to trade."
Not getting a reply from Stone, Miles sighed. "Okay, I won't play games with you. What do you think, Kuminga?"
"Kuminga?" Stone choked abruptly.
Cuminga was the 7th overall pick in this year's draft. He and Jalen Green both came from the Ignite team. He is 2 meters tall with a 2.1-meter wingspan and has extremely explosive physical attributes.
Should Kumingjia be used to replace Wang Xiucheng?
Stone felt his head buzzing.
Have all these guys gone crazy when I've only been gone for half a month?
No matter how good Wang Xiucheng is, can he catch up with Kawhi Leonard's Cuminga, whose template ceiling is also Leonard?
If Patrick hadn't given the order, he would have really agreed right now.
"I will think about it."
Stone put down the phone, his brows furrowed.
What's wrong with the NBA?
Could it be that I've stumbled into a parallel world?
After thinking for a moment, Stone made another call.
“Hello, Mr. Stone, you must have something good to tell me before you call me, right?” Tim Connery’s voice came through the phone.
"Do the Nuggets want Wang Xiucheng? The Warriors and Lakers have both made offers. If the Nuggets don't have better assets, believe me, Connery, you'll see news of Wang Xiucheng leaving Houston tonight," Stone said bluntly.
Connery seemed flustered, as if he were looking for something.
Soon, the sound of paper being scribbled could be heard.
“Believe me, I don’t want to use other players to overshadow our interest in Wang Xiucheng… Anyway, there’s no point in talking about this. Tell me what kind of offer you want,” Connery asked.
“You should be the one making the offer,” Stone corrected.
"You know we're aiming for the championship, so our starting lineup can't be changed, otherwise Jokic will eat me alive. But I can compensate you with first-round picks, the first rounds in 22 and 24, how about that?"
Stone sneered, "If the Lakers' first-round picks are worthless, then the Nuggets' first-round picks are garbage."
Given the Nuggets' strength, they will be a championship contender for a considerable period of time. Their first-round pick is essentially no different from their second-round pick.
“If this is your bargaining chip, I’m hanging up.” Stone sneered, making no attempt to hide his anger.
"What if I gave it to you, Murray?"
Connery's voice came through the phone again.
Stone was startled and instinctively stood up from his chair.
Jamal Murray?
Murray was a near All-Star player last season, averaging 21 points and 5 assists per game. Most importantly, Murray's three-point shooting percentage was 40.8% last season, while Curry's was only 42%.
It's fair to say that Murray is the perfect point guard for the Houston Rockets.
Even compared to Stone's beloved Porter Jr., Stone thought Murray was better.
The only downside is that it's a bit brittle.
But if Murray weren't so fragile, Connery wouldn't have even considered trading him.
“Murray’s salary is over thirty million. I’ll give you some more as a bonus. You can give me Wall’s contract, but of course, you won’t get the first-round pick,” Connery said calmly.
He was confident that Stone would agree.
This sum is enough to trade for an All-Star.
It's just that Jokic, that fat guy, seems to have a good impression of this Chinese man.
Jokic can renew his contract early next year. In order to avoid any surprises, the owner said that he would meet any of Jokic's recruitment requests, as long as there is still room for maneuver.
Stone felt like his heart was being scratched; if 24-year-old Murray could come to the Rockets, then the Rockets' rebuilding process would be almost halfway complete.
Patrick, Patrick, do you even know what you've done?
Stone acknowledged that Wang Xiucheng has great potential, but if compared to Murray, Stone would still choose Murray.
Stone felt he needed to call the boss; this was too important. He couldn't let Patrick's momentary lapse of judgment and personal preferences cause the Houston Rockets to lose the opportunity to accelerate their rebuilding process.
Stone told the other party he would think about it, and just as he was about to call his boss to report the matter, the phone rang, and the caller ID showed it was his boss Fertitta's number.
"Good day, boss."
Stone answered the call quickly.
"Has Patrick gone to the team?" Fertitta's voice came through.
"Yes, he just left me. He said you appointed him as CEO."
"Yes, if you're unsure about anything, just ask him."
After saying that, Fertitta hung up the phone.
Stone was not given a chance to speak again.
Fertitta's words have made it very clear: the team's Patrick has the final say.
This made Stone completely afraid to tattle.
Thinking of Murray walking further and further away, Stone could only keep scratching his bald head.
……
It was evening in China when several news items suddenly ignited the basketball community.
According to Wojnarowski, the Houston Rockets are looking to trade for Wang Xiucheng, with several teams, including the Lakers and Nuggets, showing interest and having already made offers.
"Shams: The Lakers believe Wang Xiucheng is worth two first-round picks."
Jonathan Givony: The Nuggets believe that the younger Wang Xiucheng is a long-term partner for Jokic.
"Marcus Thompson: Warriors join the battle for Wang Xiucheng, with Kuminga as the main bargaining chip."
Several revelations from renowned journalists shattered the otherwise quiet nighttime atmosphere in China.
Traffic to all basketball forums suddenly surged, and Wang Xiucheng's popularity on search engines skyrocketed.
Lakers and Warriors fans suddenly became divided again, saying that the other team was not a good fit for Wang Xiucheng and that only their own team was the best choice.
On the contrary, the Houston Rockets fans just watched with a chuckle.
Perhaps influenced by the comments of several basketball figures, Rockets fans also believe that Wang Xiucheng should go to a better team instead of wasting his time with the Rockets.