"Hey, CJ, we're family here. Give your big bro a little hint—what kind of price is Buford asking for?"
The moment he heard Chen Yilun fishing for information, every hair on CJ's body stood up.
"No idea. How would Buford tell me something that important? I'm literally just here as a spokesperson today. I know nothing."
"Lame."
Chen Yilun muttered and went back to reading his newspaper.
This year, the Kings were once again sending two players to the All-Star Game. With Butler injured, his spot was passed down to teammate Jokić.
As for the Rising Stars Challenge, the Kings' rookie Anunoby didn't make the selection. Instead, Dillon Brooks earned a place on the World Team thanks to his nationality.
That left only Booker—the undrafted one—getting ready to test the waters in the Three-Point Contest.
Those were all the Kings faces appearing in this year's All-Star events.
...
"Yilun, kept you waiting?"
Chen Yilun had just finished the newspaper when Buford finally arrived, late and clearly overwhelmed.
"Sorry, sorry—things have been insane with the team lately. Hope you can forgive me."
"Coach, you're getting pretty full of yourself these days."
Chen Yilun put the newspaper down and smiled.
"Heard you've got some good news coming up. Guess I should congratulate you in advance."
"What good news? There's nothing guaranteed yet."
Buford waved casually and sat down. He hadn't come alone today—a middle-aged man followed behind him.
"So that's why you've been ignoring me lately. Found yourself a new flame, huh?"
Seeing the man behind Buford, Chen Yilun couldn't resist teasing him. "Got a new apprentice and forgot the old one."
"What nonsense!"
Buford wasn't bothered at all by the teasing.
"You probably haven't met him yet. I hired him after you left. This is Brian Wright."
In truth, Wright had joined the Spurs back in 2016 as Buford's Assistant GM. But because Buford and Chen Yilun were so close, most of their trade business happened over the phone.
Which was why this was Chen Yilun's first time meeting Wright.
And the "good news" Chen had mentioned earlier? It referred to Buford's upcoming promotion.
Barring surprises, Buford was about to be promoted to CEO of Spurs Sports and Entertainment next year. His successor would be Brian Wright—the man standing behind him today.
It's worth noting that since the league is essentially a coalition of thirty franchises, each team's front-office structure and job titles differ a bit.
For example, Chen Yilun's position with the Kings is called President of Basketball Operations, while in Philadelphia the equivalent role is Chairman of Operations. The position Buford is about to move into is basically on the same level as Chen Yilun's current one.
Buford clearly already had a good sense of his pending promotion. That was likely why he brought Wright along—to start introducing his successor around.
...
"So what brings you all the way to me, Mr. Busy Man?"
After a bit of small talk, Buford finally shifted to the real reason for his visit.
"I'm here to bring you a big gift."
Chen Yilun smiled, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, glanced around, saw the no-smoking sign, and reluctantly put it away.
"I heard you guys have been chasing young players lately?"
At that, both Buford and Wright's eyes lit up instantly.
"Of course! Why wouldn't we?"
Buford straightened his back, wearing the smile of someone trying very hard to please.
The Kings' young talent was currently the hottest commodity among agents throughout the league.
Booker, LeVert, Murray, Caruso, VanVleet, Siakam, and Anunoby—praised as the "Kings' Seven"—were considered one of the league's most promising young cores.
But up to this point, Chen Yilun had protected them almost maniacally—labeling all of them as untouchable, refusing even to entertain inquiries.
Whenever he did move young players, he only traded from the undrafted pool.
"So which one are you offering me?"
"What do you think about LeVert?"
Hearing that, Buford nearly blacked out. Had Chen Yilun suddenly changed personalities? Was he actually willing to move such a good player?
Among the Kings' Seven, only Booker had shown All-Star potential so far. LeVert was already the second-best of the group.
"Yes! Of course I want him!"
Buford sat up straight immediately, afraid that hesitating even a second might make Chen Yilun change his mind.
"What price are you thinking?"
"I'm not asking for much."
Chen Yilun spoke casually.
"Mills or Green—plus a little draft compensation."
His words hit Buford like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing his excitement.
"Come on." Buford let out a helpless laugh. "Isn't that a bit too much?"
Mills was the team's most important engine off the bench, while Green had been the starting shooting guard last season—only moving to the bench slowly after CJ arrived this year.
"Too much? Not at all."
Ignoring Buford's disbelief, Chen Yilun continued on his own track.
"Both of them are old friends of mine. You seriously don't see how awkward Mills' situation is right now? With CJ here, his trade value is just going to keep dropping. As for Green, his competitiveness started declining back in 2016."
He wasn't wrong. The Spurs' current starting backcourt was CJ and Parker—both offensively strong but defensively weak.
CJ was only doing Parker a favor this year. Starting next year, CJ would likely take over the point guard role, pushing Parker to the bench.
And once Parker moved to the bench, there'd be no place left for Mills.
As for Green—his peak had been between 2012 and 2014, when he truly excelled: elite defense paired with sharpshooting.
His three-point explosions alongside Gary Neal in the 2013 Finals nearly shattered LeBron's confidence. If Ray Allen hadn't performed a miracle to save the Heat, who knows how differently LeBron's legacy might look now.
"Think about it."
Chen Yilun leaned back, speaking leisurely.
"In terms of immediate impact, my LeVert isn't worse than those two, right? And he's only in his second year. When you factor in his rookie value, asking for a bit more isn't unreasonable, is it?"