"What?!"

"You're asking me to give up the draft?!!"

"No, it can't be! I'm the top pick, how could I be so stupid as to give up the draft?! ”

D'Angelo Russell roars at CAA's brokerage headquarters in Los Angeles, USA.

He couldn't keep his composure, especially when he heard his agent team suggest he forgo this year's draft.

Russell looked at his personal agent, Jones Canel, "Jones, tell me, are you guys joking?" This joke is not funny at all! ”

As an agent who debuted less than a year ago, but was able to serve in a brokerage giant like CAA, Jones Canel's ability is beyond doubt. In Russell's team of agents, he gradually became a talker as he gained experience.

"D'Angelo Russell," Canel called out Russell's full name in a rare move, "we are now one, and as the agent you hired, we can't make any money if your income is low." So, from this point of view, all the decisions we make are for the good of all of us. ”

"Think about it calmly, when did we ever hurt you since we became your agent?"

Russell's rapid breathing gradually subsided, and there was a thoughtful look on his face.

Jones Canel continued: "You know, DR, because of your performance during the joint tryout, coupled with the unfortunate injury, the scouts, team managers and coaches in the league have lowered their opinion of you. ”

"To be honest, you're no longer the top pick. And if you pay attention to the recent media news, you can also know that on many mock draft lists, your ranking continues to fall, from the top three to the top five to the top ten, and in the latest DraftEx-press.com mock draft list, you have even ranked 13th! ”

"And on the Nbadraft.net mock list, you're in 14th place, the last lotto show!"

"The authority of DraftEx-press.com and Nbadraft.net, I'm sure you are also clear. What is the concept of ranking 13th and 14th, I think you should be clear. ”

"A few of us, as your agents, can't be optimistic anyway, and the current situation is really bad for you."

"Bob told me before, is it for you to go back to the NCAA and play for another year, to hit the NCAA championship, and then the situation will be completely different again, and you can fully recuperate your body."

Jones Carnell gestured to the medium-sized white man sitting next to him. The man was Bob Williams, and he said, "Yes, DR, I suggested that to Jones, and a few of us worked together to explore the possibility of doing this. ”

Russell said, "But I've never heard you talk about it." ”

"You had just been injured and were so negative that we didn't make up our minds and we didn't tell you," Jones Carnell said, "but luckily we didn't make that decision." ”

Russell was stunned for a moment, and then his face was happy, "Is there any turnaround?" ”

He wasn't stupid either, and quickly figured out some questions.

His agent team discussed whether to let him go back to college and play in the NCAA for another year, and before he made a final decision, he should have suddenly learned some good news, so Canel said "fortunately".

Therefore, today's team of agents is not shocking, and directly let themselves give up this year's draft. Could it be that there is a team that has given some promises, promises that can get you out of the current predicament?

"You guessed it!" Jones Canel also had a smile on his face, "Yesterday we were approached by Dave Warr, the general manager of the Los Angeles Clippers, and he offered you a contract. ”

"What contract?"

Russell is a little interested, professional basketball players embark on a professional path, in addition to liking basketball, making money is also a very important purpose.

And before entering the NBA, isn't it just to get more money by trying to make yourself higher?

There is no draft yet, and there are already teams willing to offer contracts, and Russell's heart immediately trembles. Although his family is not bad, the contract amount of professional players is not easy for the average middle class to earn.

"$9.3 million for two years, $4.1 million for the first year and $5.2 million for the second year. You don't look at the second year as if you can earn more, but the second year is actually not guaranteed. If you don't perform well in the first year, you'll be cut in the second year, and the team won't have to pay any liquidated damages. ”

9.3 million!!

Russell's heart was immediately moved.

Growing up, he had never seen so much money!

"The annual salary is four or five million, which is almost the salary of the top three rookies for the first two years. It's just that the Clippers gave this contract for two years, and the second year is still unguaranteed. But I think it's very good for you right now. ”

"If you go to the draft, maybe you're drafted at the end of the lottery, and the annual salary is not as high as the contract offered by the Clippers, and you have to be tied up for four years. We all know that you have what it takes to prove yourself on the NBA stage, and you can get the big contract as fast as you can and become a billionaire! ”

Jones Cannell paints a wonderful prospect that Russell can't help but immerse himself in.

"However, the Clippers don't have a draft pick this year, so he's asking you to give up this year's draft and sign him as a free agent!"

Carnell continued, "More importantly, we all know the pride in your heart, and if you were to be selected in the teens, it would be an insult to you. But with the current situation, you're likely to be drafted by a team like that in the draft. ”

"In that case, we might as well just give up the draft! Enter the NBA as a free agent! ”

Russell fell into deep thought, and Canel and the others stopped talking, leaving him to think quietly.

After a long time, Russell suddenly said: "The Clippers now have Chris Paul, JJ Redick, Jamal Crawford, and Austin Rivers, the son of head coach Doug Rivers, do I still have a place in the past?" ”

Jones-Carnell smiled, "TL;DR, I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO ASK." As the NCAA's No. 1 guard, you have to be confident. Chris Paul aside, you can't shake his position in a short period of time, but JJ Redick is just a shooter, Austin Rivers is only a good dad, and Jamal Crawford is great, but he still has the unstable characteristics of his youth. ”

"You just have to play your own characteristics and don't worry about not having playing time!"

"And playing on a team like the Clippers, you get a lot of workouts. In Los Angeles, there is also a lot of exposure, and playing at the Clippers can attract a lot of fans. ”

Jones Canel is planning Russell's career.

Russell himself was involved, "In my rookie season, I could start off the bench and gain trust on the bench; With my height and technique, I can also switch to the second position and play with Chris in the backcourt......"

The more Russell thought about it, the more he felt like he was the piece of the Clippers' championship puzzle.

The Clippers, who have been hoping to win a championship in recent years, always drop the chain at critical moments, because they can finish the game at the shutdown moment, and there is no other choice but Paul.

Paul is certainly strong, but he's already in his thirties, and with some injuries, he's at the end of his prime. At the crucial moment of the game, the opponent was able to unscrupulously contain him, but his teammates were not able to step up and share the pressure.

The result is that Paul has worked hard every game, and it's good to win, but there are also a lot of games to lose. Overwork can easily lead to injuries.

Except for Paul, if no one on the Clippers can step up, I'm afraid that's all, and even the hope of advancing to the division finals is slim.

Russell felt that this was his chance.

He can pass the ball and he's very good; can shoot and have a high shooting percentage, which can completely replace Paul's role on the court when he is away.

If Russell and Paul are on the floor at the same time, even a good defender can also give the coach more tactical options.

"I have to say that their Clippers are still quite discerning," Russell said to himself, "It can be seen at a glance that it is their most perfect championship puzzle!" ”

"So," Carnell said, "TL;DR, your opinion is to sign with the Clippers?" ”

"Sign!" Russell exhaled heavily, "Why don't you sign it?" You know, even if I go to the draft, I guess I can't beat that damn guy. Instead of that, I might as well get the contract before him, which would be a small victory! ”

Jones-Canel was very careful to hide his sympathetic eyes, Russell, an unlucky child, meeting that Chinese rookie, was like meeting his own nemesis......

――――――

On June 18, Western time, D'Angelo Russell issued a statement announcing that he was abandoning the 2015 NBA draft.

As soon as this news came out, it instantly stirred up the storm.

Russell was seen as the favourite until he was injured. Although he is not as competitive as Towns and Okafor, he is also a rookie who has basically locked up the top three picks.

But after he was injured, the situation changed. Many teams in the league began to lower their ratings of Russell, and he also slipped sharply in the draft list of the authoritative draft website DraftEx-press.

But even so, Russell is still a strong contender for the lotto show. Although it is not very high in the lotto area, it also happens to give the team that is not ranked high in the lotto draw a chance.

They are going to give up their original goal, and if no one picks Russell before their team's pick, they will take Russell out when it's their turn.

But the plan couldn't catch up with the changes, and no one expected that Russell would actually announce that he would give up participating in the draft!

With a week to go, this year's draft will begin, and I didn't expect Russell, as the hot rookie of this year, to make the decision to give up the draft.

Subsequently, it was revealed that the Los Angeles Clippers secretly contacted D'Angelo Russell and offered him a two-year contract of nearly $10 million. Because the Clippers don't have a draft pick this year, they asked Russell to waive the draft and join the Clippers as a free agent.

The Clippers' PR team quickly refuted the rumors, claiming that there was no such thing, that it was purely malicious rumors, and that they would reserve the right to take legal action.

USA Today soon published an in-depth report that delved into the incident.

Eddie Arnold, a reporter for the report, wrote in the report: "When I first heard the news that he (D'Angelo Russell) was abandoning the draft, I thought it was a joke made by someone else. But I know that April Fool's Day has long passed. So, it's not a joke. ”

"I'm disappointed in him. Yes, you guessed it, I'm a fan of him. From the time he made a name for himself in the NCAA, I was conquered by his game, and then I've watched him grow and watch him become the No. 1 guard in the NCAA. But after such a result, he actually wanted to give up the draft! ”

"On the road of life, who can not encounter some setbacks? Although I am a fan of him, I don't hate the Chinese kid, because I think the failure that the Chinese kid brought to him is the motivation for him to become stronger. Of course, the Chinese kid sent his blessings after DR's injury, which is one of the reasons why I don't hate him. ”

"I don't think DR thinks the way I do, maybe he's very annoying Yi. So, after predicting that his draft pick would not be as good as Yi, he gave up on the draft. He's running away, it's a sign of cowardice! ”