Half an hour later.

Kobe Bryant and Chu Xuan walked out of the restaurant together.

Before getting into the car, Kobe Bryant's face was serious, and he suddenly turned his head to look at Chu Xuan: "I'll think about it seriously." If I think it's feasible, I'll do my best to convince Mickey. Well, that's all. Finally, thank you very much, this chat was very helpful for me. ”

Watching Kobe leave, Chu Xuan came back to his senses and couldn't help but get excited.

Kobe Bryant is a self-centered guy, and as long as it helps him achieve what he wants to achieve, then he will definitely do it at any cost, regardless of the consequences.

Therefore, now that Kobe Bryant is thinking about it so solemnly, Chu Xuan feels that the probability of his idea being realized is very high.

"Hehe, just wait. Perhaps it won't be long before the Lakers surprise the world again. Maybe at first it will be considered a stupid move, but I believe that before long, no one will think so. ”

Chu Xuan stood for a while, looked at the sky in Los Angeles, and then walked along the street and slowly moved away.

******

Another day passed, and the NBA preseason finally began.

Although Kobe Bryant is recovering well, he did not participate in any games, and only accompanied the team for simple recovery training. This is what the Lakers' management and coaching staff mean, after all, Kobe Bryant suffered an Achilles tendon injury, and he can't rush into high-intensity NBA games until he is fully healthy.

However, according to the Lakers' official statement, they want Kobe Bryant to appear in the season opener and the Clippers. It's one of the things that makes the fans extremely excited and looking forward to it.

Although Bryant has entered the age of 36 and has suffered a devastating Achilles tendon injury. But no one has changed the idea that he's the absolute core of the Lakers.

"As long as Kobe Bryant is here, the Lakers are competitive. His terrible willpower will overcome all odds. ”

It's a belief that all Lakers fans hold onto, and it's this belief that keeps Staples cohesive. Even if Bryant was unable to play, the enthusiasm shown by the fans at Staples still did not diminish in any way.

The Lakers have a total of 20 players on the roster in the preseason, and 12 of them are already on guaranteed contracts. In other words, the remaining eight people will compete for 2~3 positions on the Lakers in the new season.

Kobe, Gasol, and Nash are old and have injury concerns, so they did not participate in the preseason.

The preseason is the NBA team's inspection of rookie players and the final lineup determination, so the focus is not on the stars, so the media is far from the level of the regular season.

Soon, more than half a month passed, and the preseason was all over.

The countdown to the start of the new season has begun, and the final player determinations have begun for all 30 teams, and a number of signings have appeared, which is a bit dazzling.

On October 22, the Lakers officially issued a statement to the outside world, confirming two signings, officially signing forward Ibanks, guard swingman Xavier Henry and second-round pick Ryan Kelly selected by the Lakers this year.

The three players signed by the Lakers are all forwards, which just fills the vacancy of the Lakers' forward lineup, so that the Lakers' roster is also improved. And the final number was 15, which is the maximum allowed for the new season.

Devin Ebanks, a six-foot-nine forward, was drafted by the Lakers with the 43rd pick in '10. Because of his low weight and inaccurate shooting, he can only play at the small forward position. However, during his time at West Virginia University, he played power forward, so he will undoubtedly play two positions in the new season for the Lakers, who are short of forwards.

This time, the Lakers and Ibanks signed a one-year contract of 800,000 yuan, which is obviously the result of the consensus between the two parties. Ibanks wanted a big contract, but his three-year spell with the Lakers wasn't convincing. This season, the Lakers have few forward players, and the team has a lot of veterans with injury concerns, Ibanks undoubtedly wants to take advantage of this to get plenty of time to play well, so as to fight for a higher-paying contract in next year's free agency.

Xavier Henry played for the Lakers in Summer League and performed extremely well. Coupled with his great physical fitness, and as a 10-year rookie in the lottery area, Xavier at just 22 years old still has some potential to explore. And the Lakers signed him this time with the mentality of trying it out. The specific contract is one year's final salary.

As for Ryan Kelly, this is the No. 48 rookie selected by the Lakers this year, standing at six feet 11 inches, and this role is a big and small forward. As a senior at Duke University, Kelly's potential is already small. But he has a certain amount of immediate power, and his wide range can open up a certain amount of space for the Lakers, thus creating opportunities for teammates to break through.

Gasol said he was optimistic about him and was looking forward to how D'Antoni would use him in the new season, which gave Riley a certain encouragement.

The Lakers' 15-man roster is ready to go for the upcoming 13~14 season.

In this way, for fans and the media, their focus is only on the timing of Kobe's comeback, and everyone hopes that Kobe can play the opening game.

******

In the early morning of October 27.

There are two days left until the start of the new NBA season.

The whole of America is still in the silence of the night.

On Twitter, a message that was suddenly retweeted instantly detonated the entire United States.

Everyone rushed to pay attention, and after getting confirmation from multiple sources, I felt a surprise in an instant.

Not long ago, the Lakers, Cavaliers, and 76ers confirmed that they had completed a trade. The Lakers sent Chris Carman, who is a key signing this year to fill the vacancy of "Warcraft", and next year's first-round pick (unprotected) to get Noren Knolle, a rookie that the Philadelphia 76ers just acquired from the Pelicans. The 76ers sent No. 6 rookie Noren Snoll and next year's second-round pick, and got the Cavaliers' No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett and the Cavaliers' 16-year first-round pick (top-five protected). And the Cavaliers get Chris Carman from the Lakers, a second-round pick from the 76ers next year, and a first-round pick from the Lakers next year. ”

Although this trade did not involve star players, it instantly attracted widespread attention and heated discussions in the United States.

The most tragic thing is Nolen Snoll, who is recovering from a knee injury, and after falling to the sixth overall pick in the draft and being traded to the 76ers on the same day, he was sent to the Lakers by the 76ers again. Being traded twice before the start of the season is like a hot potato, and I believe that it will not be good for anyone.

Of course, there should be some solace in Noll this time around, as even the top pick Bennett has been traded. And judging by this trade, his value is higher than Bennett, who has performed average in the summer league and preseason.

In this trade, the 76ers are equivalent to trading a second-round pick for a first-rounder, so there is still some money. Of course, it's just that the player in the possession has been changed from Noll to Bennett.

Therefore, the focus of heated discussions is on the Lakers and Cavaliers.

Many people felt that the Cavaliers were too impatient to give up Bennett before the regular season even started. However, the Cavaliers are on the rise, and sending a 16-year first-round pick isn't much of a loss. What they get is the Lakers' first-round pick next year. Coupled with the fact that Chris Carman also has a decent instant combat power, it can only be said that the Cavaliers are not winners but not losers either. And the only regret is to give up Bennett easily.

The 76ers and Cavaliers did not suffer particularly large losses. In the eyes of everyone, in this transaction, the Lakers are undoubtedly the ones who suffer.

You must know that next year is a big year for the draft, known as the platinum generation comparable to the 03 and 96 sessions, and from the predictions, almost the entire first-round rookies will have good potential, especially the 14 players in the lottery area, which can only be described as talented.

According to the record prediction at the beginning of the season, the Lakers, who have an aging roster, large-scale injury risks, and overall weak strength, have a very good chance of getting a very high signing. If so, the Lakers will undoubtedly be able to pick a super-rookie to succeed Kobe Bryant in next year's draft.

However, before the season even began, the Lakers actually gave away this draft pick. Also swapped out was starting center Carman. And all he got was a draft pick with an indeterminate knee injury.

In the eyes of experts, Noren Snoll is just one player who can shine in the junior draft, and the template is Mutombo and Larry Sanders. Judging from the draft evaluation, he is only athletic, good defensive, can block and grab rebounds, but he is 6 feet 11 inches tall and weighs less than 230 pounds. And he also underwent knee surgery in the summer, and the future is still full of hidden dangers.

The important thing is that Noor's return date has not been decided, and the Lakers, who already have an average lineup, sent Carman, and the record of the new season is completely unguaranteed. Moreover, even if Knoll can return from injury in November or December, his role may not be worthy of Kaman.

Therefore, in everyone's opinion, the Lakers are undoubtedly making the Cavaliers get a higher draft pick. And what he got was only a future, and it was an uncertain and hidden future.

Apparently, everyone thought that Kupchak and Jimbas had once again made a mistake.

And this time, giving away a 14-year first-round pick, which symbolizes hope, is undoubtedly burying the Lakers' hope of rising in the next few years.

Immediately close to a ceiling is Mutombo's Noor?

No one felt that the Lakers were playing a wise role in this trade!