"Hope we both get what we're after, Mr. Koby Altman."
After Chen Yilun said that, Altman glanced around. "This isn't the place to talk. Let's go to the hotel first."
Chen Yilun had come to the meeting alone today—not even bringing his personal assistant Prince. No one from the Kings knew where he was. This trip was kept secret to the extreme.
"Okay."
Chen Yilun gave a slight nod. After making sure no one was paying attention to them, he put on a mask and followed Altman into the car he had driven over.
"Get some rest tonight. We'll have our formal discussion tomorrow."
Inside the car, Altman spoke quietly as he laid out Chen Yilun's schedule for the next two days.
"Whatever works. The sooner the better. I came out here without telling anyone, and the longer this drags on, the easier it is for someone to notice."
Chen Yilun nodded to remind him.
To most people, Altman wasn't a particularly well-known figure. But Chen Yilun remained highly cautious around him.
Altman began working in the league in 2011, spending his entire career with the Cleveland Cavaliers as their Assistant General Manager.
This summer, after the Cavaliers' long-time GM David Griffin stepped down, Altman inherited the mess he left behind.
Though "mess" might be an exaggeration—the Cavaliers' roster was still fairly stable. Even though Irving had left, the Cavaliers kept seven of the eight main players from last season's playoff rotation.
But that one missing piece was enough to push the already shaky Cavaliers into the mud.
So recently, Altman had been desperately searching the free-agent market for replacements. Besides the still-recovering Isaiah Thomas, he had also pulled Derrick Rose from the Knicks on a veteran minimum after Rose returned from a major injury.
"I understand."
Altman nodded.
"As for the players you're looking for—we still need to talk that out."
"Mm."
Chen Yilun gave a brief response and left it at that.
The season had only just started, and many teams hadn't begun serious roster changes yet. Negotiations could easily stretch out for a long time.
Altman's words were simply preparing him for the pace of the talks to come.
...
Once he arrived at the hotel, Chen Yilun sat alone and opened his laptop.
He had come to Cleveland ready for a long-term battle. Among the teams interested in trading for Young, the Cavaliers were the ones he most wanted to work with.
The reason was simple—the Cavaliers this year were making their final stand as that once-glorious team.
Years later, former GM David Griffin would reveal that after the 2016 Finals, the team had already begun to decline. The core problem was that after delivering that long-awaited championship to Cleveland, James's hunger for winning gradually faded.
With Irving's departure, James's chances at another title grew even slimmer.
So trading Young over wouldn't be much of an issue.
There was something else worth noting.
Because Chen Yilun poached him, the Cavaliers' original starting wing, Crowder, was now comfortably in San Antonio.
As a result, the Hayward injury that should have happened in the season opener—due to the combined pressure of Crowder and James—never occurred. Hayward was still the top white small forward, thriving in Boston.
Given all that, whether the Cavaliers could make it out of the East this year was now an open question.
"Yeah, I'm stepping out for some business. Handle things at home with Blackstone. Don't call me unless it's important."
Chen Yilun spoke into the phone.
On the other end, Divac understood that Chen Yilun was likely dealing with something confidential, so he didn't ask further. After giving a few instructions, he hung up.
"No idea if this will work…"
After ending the call, Chen Yilun sat back on the sofa, lost in thought.
This trade was extremely difficult.
Because of James's situation, the Cavaliers were guarding their first-round picks fiercely.
After all, James would become a free agent again after this season. If he walked away, the whole franchise would collapse. That was why Altman was being so protective of the remaining first-round picks in his hands. If Chen Yilun insisted on making a deal with the Cavaliers, he would very likely take a loss.
The thought made him scratch his head in frustration. He picked up his phone and casually scrolled through some news.
"Today's Top 5 Plays?"
While scrolling, a video caught his attention.
It showed a play at Philadelphia's home court—Simmons sliced into the paint, then lofted the ball high over the defense. As the ball reached its peak, a buzz-cut player in a 76ers jersey soared into view.
He caught the pass, half his body above the defenders, and hammered the ball through the rim.
"Wait… Collins?"
Chen Yilun focused and immediately recognized him.
It was John Collins—the player Philadelphia had drafted using the first-round pick they'd acquired from him on draft night.
After joining the team, Collins adapted to the system at lightning speed and had already become the starting power forward.
The Atlanta Guillotine had become the Philadelphia Guillotine.
At first, Chen Yilun had wanted to negotiate with the 76ers. Communicating with Bryan Colangelo was easy—Colangelo was practically an embarrassment among GMs. And if nothing unexpected happened, the man would be forced out in a few months anyway for his reckless tweeting.
Truly a legendary figure in GM history.
But after examining the 76ers' situation, Chen Yilun had no choice but to give up on the idea.
Collins, who barely shot threes in college, entered the league looking like someone whose meridians had been opened by a martial arts master—he immediately made the three-pointer one of his regular weapons.
A power forward with shooting range and interior explosiveness was the perfect fit next to Simmons and Joel Embiid.
So Bryan Colangelo had shown little interest in trading for Young.
"Tomorrow at 8 a.m. in the hotel conference room."
Altman's message popped up on Chen Yilun's phone.
"So tomorrow's the real showdown."
This would be his first solo secret meeting since taking office. The thought alone was enough to give him a little thrill.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser