Paxson immediately contacted the Pistons to express their intention to trade, only for Pistons manager Joe Dumas to refuse, saying that Rashid was not for sale.

Ben Wallace's departure will not have much impact on the Pistons system, unlike Rashid, he can't pull the Pistons on the offensive end inside. It's easy to find a blue-collar on the inside, but it's hard to find someone to replace Rashid's role.

And because of Milicic, Joe Dumas has a shadow of the list. Aldridge's template is Rashid, so why not just keep Rashid?

The Bulls management discussed for a while, Nowitzki is suitable for the Bulls system, but they all know that Cuban and Nowitzki have a very good relationship, and although the Mavericks lost in the finals this year, they are also very strong, and they will build a team with Nowitzki as the core.

Skales made a suggestion. "How is Pau Gasol? The Grizzlies are out of the first round of the playoffs for three years in a row, and they will want to rebuild, and the Grizzlies should be tempted if we trade a potential rookie for him. They can free up salary space and poach people in the free market. ”

Ivanka responded: "This line, I heard that the Grizzlies still want to sell Battier in exchange for rookie development this season, one is training, and two are too." It is likely to succeed. ”

Furman objected. "Gasol has the quality and can definitely improve the team, but there's a problem, if he comes, we may be a thorn in the side of the league next season."

"Why?" Skeyles didn't understand.

"Because the Bulls are all international players inside and out, we're a special team. The alliance affirmed Wang Jun's strength because of the development direction of the alliance. They have a long-term goal in China, and the benefits of cooperation are great. But the league can't afford to give up on local stars. ”

The reaction of everyone present was not slow, and they immediately understood the reason.

Will the league want to see two teams with international players at the core to abuse homegrown stars? One season maybe. In the second season, the president should have a headache, the hegemony of American basketball is gone, and the dignity is trampled.

At that time, the league officials will stumble in the playoffs and arrange referees who don't like Wang Jun, such as the bald Crawford, which will be enough for the Bulls.

A good team management should not only consider the situation of the team, but also consider the wind direction of the league, just like buying stocks, it is beneficial to keep up with the market.

The original net team sent Wang Jun away also out of this consideration. Wang Jun was banned several times. The league happened to crack down on court violence again, and the boss felt that Wang Jun was not suitable, and he was cheated. Wang Jun controlled his temper, if he fought again, the alliance might pull him into the blacklist.

Assistant Coach Ron Adams didn't speak until everyone had no good opinions.

"I have a suggestion to try a trade with the SuperSonics in exchange for their second-in-command, Rashad Lewis, swinging in the No. 3 and No. 4 positions. He is good at shooting three-point shots, and he can also rely on his skills to score against opponents' big men on the baseline. ”

Paxson's eyes lit up immediately.

Skyles was silent for a moment, then nodded. 'This guy is really good and suits the tactics of the team. He is much better than Nocioni and Lore Deng in three points. ”

The team played small-ball tactics, with Nocioni often occupying the bottom left corner and scoring some three-pointers. But the hit rate was only 34.3%. If it is replaced by Lewis, it is equivalent to changing the shotgun for the gun. Wang Jun attracts defense, and Lewis's empty three-point shooting rate can never be less than 4 percent.

Others agreed. What the bull needs is someone who can pull the space out. Although Lewis is very skinny, his defensive style is similar to that of Lore Deng, and he is not suitable for resistance, but it doesn't matter, the team will not give him this kind of difficult job to grab people, and the defense has Chandler.

Lewis can play two positions, the No. 3 and No. 4 positions can ensure efficiency, and sharing playing time with David Lee and Lore Deng, the Bulls' forward line will become very strong.

Best of all, Lewis, who was selected for the 2005 All-Star Game, earns less than $10 million a year, which is cheaper than Chandler.

In 2007 and 2008, there was a player option and he could jump out of his contract. If he doesn't play well, the Bulls can just renew his contract and free up salary space to renew others in the future. If you play well, the Bulls have an extra All-Star.

This is more reliable than cultivating Lore Deng, and Lore Deng's inability to shoot threes is a big weakness.

The SuperSonics lack an orthodox No. 4 position, which is why they have been playing poorly, and Aldridge will certainly tempt them.

Paxson reached out to the SuperSonics manager and offered a trade to trade the No. 2 pick for Lewis and catch Darius Sangeira.

The two inside lines are changed to one person, the supersonic side does not agree, Sangeira's data last season was too poor, and the marginal man will definitely not jump out of the second year of the contract, and the other party doubts whether he is useful.

The initial intention was reached, and the SuperSonics were indeed preparing for a big change, and they even wanted to send Ray Allen away, just to free up salary space. They don't care if they get a bad contract, as long as they can meet the minimum salary cap.

The SuperSonics are making a big change and are planning to leave Seattle and relocate their home stadium to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for a fresh start. Their rebuilding will be the most thorough, as long as the newcomers and the contracts that are about to end, no high salaries.

For two days, the two sides began to bargain.

The SuperSonics have no interest in Sangeira, Hayes' contract expires and he can't be a bargaining chip before the extension, and the Bulls still have a lot of non-sale items and not many options.

With the draft approaching, there isn't much time left for both sides to think about it, and decisions must be made as soon as possible. The SuperSonics were interested in Aldridge and quickly put forward their chips, they wanted Nocioni, they didn't need to add cash or anything, and the list was worth a lot of money.

Without the Bulls having to say anything, they favored Nocioni over Lore Deng because of the contract. Nocioni expires next season, and a contract extension that plays well is definitely cheaper than Lewis, and if he doesn't play well, he will let it go directly.

Lewis's 2007 contract is almost a foregone conclusion, and if he executes his contract until 2009 and becomes a complete free agent, he will be 30 years old by then, and it will be difficult to sign another long-term contract with a high salary. 28 years old is just right, and you can sign for five or six years. It would be his last big contract, and then his form would inevitably slip.

The SuperSonics manager didn't want to delay, knowing that he had to hurry, the Trail Blazers knew that the Bulls were going to "cut off", and the manager also called Paxson to increase his chips and sign No. 4 for Ade. The SuperSonics weren't interested in Thomas, and the coach didn't like the kind of guy who couldn't shoot.

The Bulls management had no opinion and thought it was feasible, and Paxson made a decision, and the deal was settled.

Unless there is an accident in the No. 1 pick, and the Raptors do not choose Bagnani, there will be variables. With Aldridge's loss in the NCAA, Bagnani is now the highest-rated and the top pick is almost predetermined.

The SuperSonics got the two players they wanted, almost finished the rebuild, and only needed to send Ray Allen away.

Wang Jun will soon get the good news that the Bulls will be stronger next season.

The other teams are going to be out of luck. Wang Jun, Lewis, and Hinrich all have strong three-point ability, all of which have a shooting rate of more than 40%, and as long as they are not abnormal, the Bulls' outside firepower will be the first in the league.

PS (To be continued.) )