On the day of the June 26 draft, in addition to the shocking trade between the Celtics and the Timberwolves, other trades were completed. The Milwaukee Bucks sent the team's guard Keith Bogans to the Magic in exchange for some cash; The Philadelphia 76ers sent Patcel Moreland to the Seattle SuperSonics for Will Green; and the Phoenix Suns traded the 2005 first-round pick to the Spurs, who acquired Brazilian guard Leo Barbosa in the draft. On top of that, there are two small short-term contracts to give away for cash and space, and none of these deals add up to the Celtic deals.

So after the draft, there were two people who saw a sharp rise in attention, one was naturally Danny Ainge, who was the brainchild of the deal, and he was basically locked in by the media as the manager of the best manager next season after the deal was completed.

In the media meeting room of Madison Garden Plaza, Angie was also surrounded by reporters, asking all kinds of details related to the transaction. However, although Angie completed the deal, what had happened before, why the always loyal Garnett agreed to be traded, and how the Timberwolves were willing to make this decision, although Angie had a general idea in his mind, he didn't know anything about the details, because all of this was done by Leon!

So Angie could only vaguely say some polite words about how happy to get Garnett, hoping Garnett could have more success with the Celtics, how good a player Garnett is, and so on, and then left in a hurry to deal with the two rookies.

Another escalation of attention in this draft is New York reporter Woj, because 20 minutes before the Timberwolves and Celtics completed the trade, Woj updated the trade rumor on his official blog homepage, stating: According to reliable sources, the Celtics and Timberwolves have reached an agreement that the Celtics will get Kevin Garnett.

The post didn't get much attention when it was first released, when attention was focused on the top five draft picks, but it wasn't until 20 minutes later that the NBA officially announced that the Celtics and Timberwolves trade requests had been reported to the league office. As early as last summer, Woj was a little popular because of the early language Michael Jordan's comeback, and this time the news of the big deal released early made Woj famous.

Woj certainly won't let go of this great opportunity to expand his reputation, for journalists, fame is their lifeline, just like the player's skills, the more fame, the more audience, the more resources they receive, it's a virtuous circle.

Unlike Angie, although he was not a direct participant in this Garnett deal, as a good friend of Leon, he knew many details. For example, the tabloid that first released rumors of the Timberwolves trading Yin and Yang contracts was written by a young reporter whom Fox Leon knew, and the letters he later wrote to the league office were also written by him.

Of course, Woj would not say such things to the outside world, and as a participant, he also calculated his strength. The media people who ate with Leon and watched yacht races during the Eastern Conference Finals were more or less fueled by it. And what they get together is that they can share Leon's scouting eyes and ears in the United States, so several New York newspapers have carried in-depth coverage of this draft conference, which has also caused a strong response among the fan base, and these newspapers have skyrocketed in sales in the last two days.

Woj is also ready to start an in-depth follow-up report on the Celtics deal after the draft, and with his relationship with Leon, he will definitely get more valuable insiders.

At nine o'clock in the evening, the drama finally came to an end, the audience left, the staff began to clean up the temporary stands on the spot, and the selected rookies went to spend a good night with those team managers with their hopes and expectations for the future. Those young people who were not selected had to pack their bags and prepare to wander in the basketball circle in search of a part-time job.

Woj, who had had a busy evening, was still uncontrollably excited, both happy that his friend had been planning a deal for more than a year and finally seeing the fruits of his years of hard work. He knew that after this night, he would be promoted to the ranks of the NBA's top reporters, and of course, his goal was much more than that.

When he got home, Woj turned on his computer and logged on to his blog, ready to write a live note from the 2003 draft to wrap up the day.

At this time, his mobile phone rang, it was a text message, Woj saw that the screen was sent by Leon, he hurriedly opened the text message, and there was only one sentence in it: Come to Washington, bring your pen and paper.

During the draft, Woj also wondered why Leon had not been there, remembering that Leon had arrived in New York a few days earlier. Now from this text message, it seems that Leon must be in Washington, and he asked himself to bring a pen and paper, which actually means the same thing: there is news here.

For Leon, Woj is extremely trusting, he knows that Leon let him go, there must be big news, as a media person, Woj has the heart to report all the big news. So after receiving this text message, he hurriedly called the airline, booked a ticket to Washington at 3 a.m., and then hurriedly said hello to his wife and drove straight to the airport.

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On June 27, the first day after the draft, the trade continued, and before the free agency market opened, teams would make adjustments through a series of trades, either to make room or to strengthen them. One of the biggest deals came from the Milwaukee Bucks and the Timberwolves, a deal that should have been done yesterday, with the Milwaukee Bucks sending point guards Sam Cassel and Evan Johnson to the Timberwolves for Anthony Peeler and Joe Smith. After completing this deal, the Timberwolves' roster appears to be quite balanced and complete, and people can't help but look forward to their new season.

But the biggest news of the day wasn't the Timberwolves trade, but Arnold Auerbach being admitted to the hospital with a heart attack. Although Auerbach had already been in the hospital on the 26th, it was not until the morning of the 27th that the news began to appear in the headlines of major media outlets, and Auerbach's two daughters felt at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington on the 27th, and Danny Angie and Celtics owner Glos Pike flew directly from New York to Washington. Celtic celebrities who live in Boston and elsewhere have also set off from their homes and gathered in Washington, D.C., from far and wide to see the founder of the Green Shirts.

But Fox, who first put Auerbach in the hospital, didn't show up at the National Rehabilitation Hospital for the first time, until Auerbach said to everyone, I want to see Fox Leon. (To be continued.) )