I am so Accurate

The draft is just a warm-up, the real drama is the upcoming free agent market.

Last year's free agent market was quiet for a year, but this year's has become lively again, and can even be described as hot.

This year's big fish in the free market can compete with Sun Hao and Kobe Bryant when they entered the free market.

In addition to the three big fish mentioned before, namely Yao Ming, Howard and Yi Jianlian, there are also rookies from the 2008 class who did not receive early contract renewal.

This includes Westbrook of the Thunder, OJ Mayo of the Cavaliers, Kevin Love of the Timberwolves, Brook Lopez of the Nets, Roy Hibbert of the Lakers, etc.

As I said during the draft, the quality of the 2008 draft is still very high.

And in addition to these players, there are many former players who are also worth pursuing, and some top veterans.

In their prime, Paul, Deron, Brand, Baron Davis, etc.;

There are an especially large number of top veterans this year: Nash, Kidd, Billups, Ray Allen, Garnett, Carter, Andre Miller, etc.;

In addition, there are some very good role players: Fernandez, Hinrich, Courtney Lee, Ariza, Pietrus, etc.;

There are even those whose contracts have not expired in 2009, but have already begun to negotiate in advance. The two most typical representatives are Harden and Curry.

Both of them performed extremely well last season, and as expected, both of them will get their contracts renewed in advance.

But the situation between the two is not the same. Sun Hao left the Warriors, and Curry's contract extension is almost the same.

But there are many uncertainties about Harden's contract extension prospects.

All in all, after listing it like this, there will definitely be many good shows in the free market this year.

Kupchak will ask for Sun Hao's opinion even in the draft, so the free market plan will naturally not be kept secret from Sun Hao.

"The number one target we are chasing in the free market will be Yao."

Kupchak did not ask about Sun Hao's attitude in this sentence, because he knew that Sun Hao would not refuse to be a teammate with Yao Ming.

This is indeed the case. Sun Hao and Yao Ming are both veterans who have played in this league for more than ten years.

There has never been a chance to cooperate before, but now there is such an opportunity. Just like selecting Green in the draft, Sun Hao will definitely not refuse it.

Even, he is eager for it.

This is related to his chat with Yao Ming last season, and also to Yao Ming's current situation.

Long before the free market opened, some problems between Yao Ming and the Wizards were exposed.

Yao Ming's current situation is similar to Durant's after injury in history.

At the end of their prime, they all suffered serious injuries, and although Yao Ming's injury was relatively minor, the impact of injuries to inside players was far greater than that of outside players.

Therefore, the Wizards' management also had the same hesitations as the Warriors' management.

Because Yao Ming's contract extension will definitely be a maximum salary, and it will be a long-term contract. If the Wizards renew his contract, there is a high probability that he will pay for a big contract in the next few years.

However, Jordan has stated in public more than once that the Wizards will renew Yao Ming's contract.

"Everything Yao has done for the Wizards gives us no reason not to re-sign him."

Although Jordan is not the big boss yet, this is also a statement from the management.

So the current situation can only be regarded as hesitant at best.

The Wizards will have concerns about renewing Yao Ming's contract, but they have no choice but to not renew because Riley has set a precedent and they will be sprayed to death.

Maybe in the end, it still depends on Yao Ming's own attitude.

At this stage of his career, Yao Ming is definitely thinking a little differently than before.

This is why Kupchak dares to say that his first goal is to chase Yao Ming.

As for the issue of injuries, they have experience in dealing with O'Neal. No one in the league has more experience in dealing with such a big man than they do.

"I'll try to talk to Yao."

Sun Hao was also very proactive because of his desire.

Hearing what Sun Hao said, Kupchak was naturally the happiest.

With Sun Hao coming forward, the possibility of the Lakers signing Yao Ming has skyrocketed.

"We are also preparing to sign Rudy Fernandez."

Then, Kupchak talked about another person who didn't seem so important, but it was necessary to talk about it.

Fernandez.

Because Fernandez went to the Cavaliers, he has already played as a starter, and has played in the NBA for much longer than in history.

But his current life is not satisfactory, because the Cavaliers' record has not improved all year round, which is a kind of torture for him.

At the end of last season, he already had a strong desire to return to Europe to play.

The reason why Kupchak chose Fernandez is also easy to explain.

First, of course, it’s because of Fernandez’s strength.

Fernandez is a rising star in Spanish basketball, and he still has the ability to play as a sixth man in the NBA.

Crawford's performance with the team last season was so poor that the possibility of the management keeping him is very slim.

Replacing Crawford with Fernandez also makes sense.

Second, it was because of Sun Hao.

Many people know about the relationship between Fernandez and Sun Hao, including the fact that Fernandez is the godfather of Little Beijing, and Kupchak also knows it.

So whether it's Yao Ming or Fernandez, Kupchik and the Lakers management want to make Sun Hao play more comfortably.

Sun Hao did not refuse this proposal.

Fernandez's cost-effectiveness is relatively high. Even if there is no reason for him, it is very good to sign him.

After talking about the two people who had a close relationship with Sun Hao, Kupchik started talking more quickly.

The next more important content is mainly related to Carter and Hibbert.

Although Hibbert's performance in the playoffs last season was average, his physical talent is there, and he will definitely get a contract worth more than 10 million.

So the idea of ​​leaving Hibbert as a substitute for Yao Ming is definitely unrealistic.

But O'Quinn alone won't be enough as a rookie, so they will need to sign a first backup center with experience or immediate ability in the free market.

Then, there's Carter.

If you rate the performance of the Lakers' players last season, then Carter and Crawford can definitely be called "trash brothers".

But Carter is a little different for the Lakers, because in the past few years when the Lakers have been in decline, Carter has worked hard and made many contributions to the team.

The Lakers management has no other characteristics, but it does pay more attention to friendship and image.

In history, ordinary teams will never be able to provide a pension contract like Kobe's.

If Carter is willing to renew at a low price, the Lakers are still willing to keep him.

Of course, the premise is what Sun Hao thinks.

Sun Hao, of course, would not object.

Carter is a very unique person among the super giants.

Generally, super giants are either very long-lasting, such as Jordan and Kobe;

There are also those who fell in the middle and failed to recover, such as Tracy McGrady and Hill;

But Carter was very popular and powerful at his peak, and after being stepped aside by Bowen, he became an ordinary All-Star player.

But at this level, he lasted for a long time and even ended up playing in the league for 22 years.

Therefore, judging from Carter's historical performance, Carter's downturn last season will not be the norm. He may be able to get back to his form next season.

If Carter can be renewed at a lower price, it will not be a loss for the Lakers.

These major things are determined, and the rest are some minor repairs. Then, we wait for the free market to officially begin.

A few days later, amid widespread rumors, the door to the free market officially opened.

Howard was the first to announce that he would skip the last year of his previous big contract and become a completely free agent.

Then, the fierce chase began.

Although the Clippers were unexpectedly upset by the Lakers last season, Yao Ming's injury situation is unknown now, and Howard has now become the best center in the league, and it is inevitable that he will be favored by the market.

Then, there is Yi Jianlian.

As said before, which team wins the championship will determine the development trend of the league.

The Warriors completed their dynasty, and the development of small ball has become a trend.

At this time, Yi Jianlian, who is more suitable than Ibaka, is not much less popular in the market than Howard.

For the Bulls, renewing Yi Jianlian's contract is their top priority.

Coupled with Paul, who made it clear last season that he would renew his contract, the Bulls owner will be ready to send out a very large check this summer.

In addition to these two insiders, Deron is also one of the targets being chased by many teams.

Although his experience with the Hornets in the past few years can be described as tragic, Deron's ability is there.

His drag step change of direction is unique in the league, not to mention his pick-and-roll scoring ability and organizational ability.

Finally, there are those veterans, all of whom are popular in the market.

Interestingly, before the free market door opened, there were reports of internal turmoil within the Celtics.

The Big Three teamed up for many years and achieved nothing. Last season, Ray Allen was pushed to the bench by teenager Bradley, which made Ray Allen consider leaving.

But Garnett and Pierce tried their best to persuade Ray Allen to stay and fight again.

For these two old guys, they couldn't accept that the Big Three lineup that they worked hard to form finally retired in this way.

Even if they fight until they retire, they will still fight until the last moment.

There are different ideas among the three. There is news that Ray Allen will leave the Celtics with a high probability.

And his next home is likely to be one of several popular championship teams, including the Lakers.

True and false, false and true.

The first day of the free market was characterized by heavy movement and little rain.

There were various rumors about who was interested in whom, but in the end, the signings that actually completed the signings were all signings that didn't have much suspense.

For example, the Thunder renewed Westbrook's contract with a five-year, 80 million maximum salary contract, and the Timberwolves also renewed Love's contract at the same price.

It was destined that these two college friends received their maximum-salary contracts on the same day.

The Lakers also started to strengthen at this time.

They signed a new three-year, 9 million contract with Fernandez.

Fernandez averaged 12.6 points per game for the Cavaliers last season. Although the data is somewhat inadequate because it is a weak team, the strength is there, and the value of this contract is still very high.

And Fernandez actually said in negotiations that the Lakers were his only option.

If it weren't for being able to play with Sun Hao, he would have decided to return to Spain to play.

So this is actually considered a friendly price.

Moreover, it is still in the freezing period, and the two parties have only reached a verbal agreement, which will not affect the Lakers' subsequent signings.

In the first two days of the free market, the situation was much the same as on the first day.

Only then did the fans realize one thing, that is, many players were waiting and watching, waiting for the biggest fish to make a decision.

On this day, Sun Hao and Yao Ming met in Washington.

This time the two met again. After a brief exchange of greetings, Sun Hao went straight to the topic and talked with Yao Ming about the future and the idea of ​​playing together.

As the outside world suspected, Yao Ming's mentality at this time was different from before.

Although he failed to help the Wizards win the championship, the Wizards' training for him has almost offset his achievements for the Wizards.

The career after this is a stage for him to consider for himself.

And what Sun Hao didn't know was that after the season, Jordan actually talked to him about the following events.

Jordan's attitude has been exposed in previous rumors.

He is very grateful for everything Yao Ming has done for the Wizards, so as long as Yao Ming chooses to stay, he will definitely convince other people in the management team to use the largest contract to keep the Wizards.

Because he is a player, he knows that doing so is a sign of respect for the players, and it is also an opportunity to win reputation for the team.

But, in addition, he also expressed his true attitude to Yao Ming.

"Whether you choose to stay or chase a championship, I will support you."

Again, Jordan came here as a player, so he knows how attractive the championship is to players, especially in the later stages of his career.

Yao Ming was very moved by Jordan's words and basically had the answer in his heart.

After Sun Hao came to find him again, he also expressed his thoughts.

"I also want to go to Los Angeles to play with you, but I'm not sure about my injury. I'm afraid it will drag you and the Lakers down in two years."

Yao Ming's thoughts are still Chinese thoughts after all, and they are very positive ones.

If this were an ordinary American player, no matter what the drag or reputation, the "money" they get would be the most real.

According to the most popular saying, the owners are willing to pay them the ball, so what's their fault?

"Those are not the most important things. If you want to play with me, that's the most important thing."

Sun Hao's words are very similar to men and women falling in love. Any objection from relatives will drag you down. As long as you love, nothing else will be a problem.

And after saying this, he added another sentence:

"The last thing people need to do is worry about things that haven't happened yet, because whether you worry or not, life will be the same."

Yao Ming looked at Sun Hao blankly for a while, and finally nodded.

"I'm going to Los Angeles."