Since the Finals, the NBA has entered the offseason in full swing. It will be a long holiday for the players, and they can take the opportunity to enjoy their time with their families. However, for the uniforms of the league's teams, the offseason does not mean a holiday, on the contrary, the real busyness has just begun.

After Li Chen returned to New York, Dolan found the owner, and the contract had already been negotiated, but he always owed a signature to the parties. For Li Chen, there is no need to drag this matter, he is very happy to sell himself to the Knicks, and along with him to the Knicks, the two rookies that New York has just drafted this year, the baby-faced Stephen Curry and the second-round Marcus Thorton.

The press conference was held on the day of the signing, Li Chen took his two new brothers to stand in front of the camera for random posing, and the jersey number in his hand was still zero, in his own words, coming to the Knicks was starting from scratch, and the previous glory was not important.

"My goal is to try to help the team get into the playoffs next season!" The Big Apple's first public statement was very pleasing to New Yorkers, and it is true that for the already rotten Knicks, returning to the playoff roster is the top priority, and as for the championship thing, it is obviously a little far away.

"New York is great, I love this place!" Babyface has long accepted the fact that he was selected by New York, although it is a bit regrettable that he did not go to the Golden State, after all, the old Nelson values Curry for all to see, but New York is not too bad for him.

Like Mad Scientists, D'Antoni is also a master at tuning his disciples' offensive abilities, and he won't bury Curry's talent. And more importantly, the Knicks are a team in the process of reorganization, although the core position of the Big Apple is unshakable, but for Curry, who is not ambitious, it is not difficult to occupy a good position in the team with his own strength.

Marcus Thornton didn't get much attention because he was a second-round show, but he was still a New Yorker anyway, and some third-rate tabloid reporters still gave him a few shots for face.

"I'm going to find my place on the team as soon as possible, it's a start for me, the Knicks are a young team and I love it here!" Thorton, who knew his humble status, did his best to curry favor with New Yorkers, and the audience was God, and if he couldn't get their approval, no matter how powerful he was, it would be in vain.

Li Chen also saw these two teammates for the first time, although they were only two rookies, but he was not an old bird with deep roots in the team, so he urgently needed to cultivate his own small circle, and the pair of rookies Babyface and Thorton were very good candidates in his opinion.

After the press conference, he took the initiative to invite two future teammates to dinner on the grounds of landlord friendship, and the sudden dinner made the two rookies who had just entered the league very happy.

Before they came, they had been told by their agent that the Big Apple was the core of New York, so don't contradict him, originally they thought that Li Chen, who had just won the MVP of the finals, would be a very arrogant person, and it must not be easy to get along, but now it seems that his future boss still seems to be a very easy-going person.

"Hey, Lee, that new song of yours is so good, I'll definitely buy a collector's when your record comes out!" Thorton, who has a more open surname, first recognized his position, he is not Curry, and he will not say anything even if the coach doesn't give him a chance in the second round, so he wants to take Li Chen's line to gain a firm foothold in the team.

"Really? I'm glad you like it, I've always been worried that I'll have to sell the jersey and the record together! Li Chen didn't think too much about it, he thought that Suoton just liked to listen to his new song.

"How is that possible?" Thorton's expression was exaggerated, "That single is simply amazing, it's number one on the charts right now, and those friends of mine are all waiting for your record!" "Anyway, there is no cost to praise people, and Suodun can't wait to praise Li Chen to the sky.

However, the world is always so unfair, even if Thorton has tried his best to please Li Chen, the latter still pays more attention to the baby face who has not spoken much.

It is no wonder that although Li Chen has the ability to foresee, he was not a die-hard basketball fan before, and his perception of the NBA only stayed on those star players who could leave an impression on him.

A rookie like Marcus Thornton, even if he can be regarded as the best in this year's second-round show, Li Chen still has no impression and focuses on an insignificant pawn, which is not in line with his style.

"Stephen! I've watched your game and your three-point is very accurate! Li Chen casually said, he hadn't even watched Jordan's game, how could he pay attention to Curry's game, but because of the purpose of accepting a younger brother, he still showed an approachable appearance as much as possible. Although he was the youngest of the three, Curry and Thorton didn't dare to pose in front of Li Chen.

The praise of the Big Apple made Curry a little happy that he couldn't find the north, the other party actually watched his game, and also recognized his shooting strength, Curry suddenly felt very surprised. Originally, he was still thinking about how to have a good relationship with Li Chen, but now it seems that this is not difficult, and it seems that the future boss has a very good impression of him.

"Really, but I'm definitely not as good as you, your performance in the finals is simply unbeatable." Curry spoke very honestly, "I was thinking about how I could find a chance for you to point me out in the draft, and I was lucky enough to be drafted in New York!" ”

Li Chen smiled, "I've read the information of the two of you, both are good goalscorers, and it just so happens that I know that the most important part of D'Antoni's lineup next season is the need for a group of excellent goalscorers, just like the Suns back then, so if nothing else, you can all find your place in New York!" ”

The words of the core of the team made the two rookies very happy, especially the second-round pick Marcus Thornton, who was still thinking about how to gain a foothold in the team, but now it seems that the Knicks are not as difficult as he thought, at least for him as a rookie, it is not bad, as long as the shooting skills can be recognized by D'Antoni, then it is not impossible to enter the rotation lineup.

The meal of the three newcomers was very harmonious, Li Chen got two supporters, and the two rookies also thought that they had found a backer, although they each had their own goals, but they were basically happy.

On the Knicks' side, since Li Chen signed his name on the contract, Dolan finally put his mind at ease, and the biggest recruitment work of the season was successfully completed, and the rest was the team's reinforcement plan.

The old guy first set his sights on the rockets. Since being swept out of the playoffs, the Rockets have not had a good time. First, the team's nominal core Maddy had no hope of coming back, and no one wanted to be traded, and then Ron Artest, another member of the team, also quickly signed with the Lakers, and the beast didn't even give the Rockets a chance to keep it.

With two missing three cores, the Big Three that the Rockets managed to put together fell apart in just one year, which was a big joke for the Houstonians. Just as they were hesitating whether to trade two useful players over or prepare to rebuild, the Knicks' uniform team suddenly found them.

Morey looked at a fax of New Yorkers' trade intentions, and Goldfinger was considering the pros and cons of the trade for the Rockets.

"Sean Battier?" Morey keeps repeating a name, yes, the New Yorkers are looking at the Rockets' perfect warrior Sean Battier, and the chips they pay are exactly what the Rockets desperately need, a young player with potential, and an available soldier whose contract will expire, the former corresponding to Italian Danilo Gallinani, and the latter corresponding to Duke's Chris Dujon.

To be honest, Morey still recognizes this deal very much, and he also knows that the reason why the Knicks are willing to sell Gallinari is completely in preparation for Li Chen's ascension. Like the Big Apple, the Italian is also a talented young player, but young players also have a common problem, that is, they are not easy to convince people, and the Knicks cannot allow anyone to challenge the status of the Big Apple, so sending it away is the only option.

Although Battier occupies an important position in the Rockets' system, and since Artest's contract extension was hopeless, he has also become the most capable player in the Rockets' single defense, but for the Rockets, who are now only in the transition period between the old and the new, Battier is not a pawn that cannot be let go.

Especially now Gallinari has proven his strength, with comprehensive skills and a good three-point hand, a height of 6-foot-9 can occasionally make a cameo as a power forward, and the key is a very high basketball IQ.

The other chip provided by the Knicks is also very good in Morey's opinion, Duke-born Chris Dujon has a very good point guard skills, and the calm mentality he has cultivated since college also allows him to make up for the lack of little black beans to a certain extent.

Duhon's three-point shot is also a big weapon, he was the winner of the 2000 McDonald's High School All-Star Three-Point Contest, and he was an important long-range weapon for the team when he was at Duke University. At the same time, it is rare that Du Hong also has a very good defense, strong defensive ability to the ball, skilled pace, quick hand and diligent attitude, making him the first barrier on the outside of the best defensive team in the 04-05 Eastern Conference.

To put it simply, Dujon is a traditional PG who can faithfully execute tactical intentions, with few mistakes and a simple style of play, which is a good complement to the Rockets' stunned boy Brooks, and the contract expires in one year, if you want to make a difference in the free market next year, it is a very good choice to accept Duhon.

On the Knicks' side, Dolan is very confident about the trade he proposed, Gallinari and Chris Dujon in exchange for Shaun Battier and Brent Barry, and he feels that as long as Morey has a little brain, he will accept his gift.

Yes, in Dolan's opinion, this is a gift, and the successful signing of the Big Apple has forced him to put some people on the team in a big sale, and Gallinari is the first, and Dujon is just a side item. Like the Brent Barry across the street, both of them were stuffed into contracts in order to broker the deal.

Originally, the Knicks took a fancy to the Bobcats' ace little forward Gerald Wallace, but the Bobcats were reluctant to let go, and later Dolan also felt that Wallace had some overlap with Li Chen's characteristics, so in the end he took a step back and turned his target to Battier of the Rockets.

For the Knicks, Battier's arrival can bring a defensive titan to the Knicks, although De'Antoni's system does not pay attention to defense, but sometimes the team still needs to have a player with strong single defense ability, such as when encountering a team with super attackers such as the Lakers and Cavaliers, Battier's presence can effectively curb the play of players such as the Great God.

The key is that Battier is polite, elegant, and a perfect team player, and his arrival will not have any bad impact on Li Chen's position.

In the end, after some careful consideration by Morey, the Rockets and the Knicks fired the first shot in the offseason trade market, and the happiest person after learning the news was none other than the baby-faced Curry who had just been signed by the Knicks.

Now that the team sent away the starting point guard, isn't the vacated spot properly for him? For this reason, Babyface is smiling very happily! (To be continued.) )