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The 2014 NBA draft took place on June 26 in Brooklyn, New York.
The overall draft process went smoothly, with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who held the first pick, selecting Andrew Brown. Wiggins was the first overall pick in the NBA draft.
Standing at 2.01 meters and playing as a shooting guard/small forward, Wiggins is extremely talented and can almost compete with another top draft pick, Joel Embiid. Embiid went on to be drafted third, which demonstrates how talented he is; even with a serious injury that led to surgery and the loss of his rookie season, teams were still willing to take a chance on him.
Wiggins' selection at number one was a natural outcome. During the draft, the league had already started to gradually improve, and many teams were preparing to make moves. After all, this summer's free-agent market was filled with superstars, offering plenty of flexibility.
After the draft, NBA teams were actively making moves, all waiting for the free-agent market to open on July 1. Teams planning to contact free agents and create salary cap space through trades would act immediately.
On July 1, the Cleveland Cavaliers were the first to act, signing star Callie Lee. Owen agreed to a five-year, $90 million maximum contract.
This was an early extension, as Irving was in the third year of his rookie contract, with the fourth year coming up. So, this signing would not affect the team's salary cap, and Irving's salary for the upcoming season would still be around $7 million under his rookie deal.
The Cavaliers' move had two purposes: to stabilize Irving and to send a message to the outside world, showing the current development potential of the team.
They had Irving, who could play at least six more years with the Cavaliers, along with Wiggins, who had just been drafted, and other young potential players like Tristan Thompson, Dieng, Vitesse, and even last year's champion, Anthony Bennett. Despite being somewhat overlooked, they still had many assets.
To Cleveland fans, the Cavaliers' move clearly demonstrated James' sincerity through practical actions.
At that time, the Cavaliers had ample salary cap space, with the team's two largest contracts belonging to Vallejo at $9 million and Irving at $7 million, leaving up to $34 million in cap room.
The Cavaliers' fans had no idea Wang Chong was interested in joining the team, so they tried every possible means to bring James back to Cleveland.
They shouted slogans on social media and various platforms, with even passionate fans marching through the streets of Cleveland holding signs like "LeBron, come home."
At the same time, James chose to opt out of his contract as soon as he became a free agent, leaving his future ambiguous. He didn't immediately renew his contract with the Heat, making it obvious to everyone that his intentions were unclear.
Many people began to speculate about where James would go if he left the Heat.
Would he return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, as he had vaguely indicated in previous interviews?
But no one knew that James himself was confused at that time.
Before the free-agent market opened, although the league had a rule preventing players from communicating with teams, this rule could not be strictly enforced. After all, the league couldn't monitor James' mobile phone no matter how powerful it was.
Thus, James did communicate with the Cavaliers' management to some extent, although he didn't say much, he subtly expressed his interest in the possibility of joining them. The Cavaliers, understanding his intentions, became excited and actively pursued him, hoping to welcome their "fugitive king" back.
However, what was a bit strange was that, in the days leading up to the free-agent market opening on July 1, the Cavaliers' management seemed to suddenly cool down. Even after the market opened, they didn't immediately contact James' agent to discuss a potential signing, as though they had forgotten about him.
This left James feeling a bit frustrated, as he had already decided not to stay with the Heat. He knew he couldn't win a championship there, especially not against Wang Chong's Bulls. However, James' star status made it difficult for him to take the initiative and ask the Cavaliers if they were still interested in him.
This created an awkward deadlock that James couldn't quite escape from.
"Hmph, the Cavaliers' management is too arrogant. They actually asked me to wait for their news. Let's see how long they can keep this up," James thought.
The 2014 free-agent market was packed with stars, and a quick glance at the expiring contracts of players made the concept clear.
Among those who became free agents were Wang Chong of the Bulls, Mark Brown, Pau Gasol, LeBron James from the Heat, Dwyane Wade, Cameron Anthony from the Knicks, Kobe Bryant from the Lakers, and Chris Bosh.
These players alone were enough to form an All-Star team, without even including restricted players like Paul George, John Wall, and DeMarcus Cousins.
It's no exaggeration to say that anyone who could secure any of these superstars would instantly elevate their team's strength.
Among all these players, the one who drew the most attention was, without a doubt, LeBron James.
Though Wang Chong had earned a complete victory in terms of honors and skills, with a value higher than James, everyone agreed that Wang Chong would certainly renew his contract with the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls had just won their sixth championship, the team had great chemistry, and there were no reports of any conflicts. The management would certainly offer Wang Chong a super-max contract. No matter how you looked at it, Wang Chong had no reason to leave the Bulls.
On the other hand, James had a strong desire to leave, and it seemed highly likely that he would opt not to renew his contract with the Heat after opting out.
Therefore, James' decision was much more closely watched than Wang Chong's, with everyone waiting to see where he would go.
But just a few days after the free-agent market opened, on July 5, a bombshell dropped across the league.
The Cleveland Cavaliers officially announced that they had signed free agent Wang Chong and would welcome the first true championship contender in league history for the upcoming season.
At the same time, the Chicago Bulls released a statement thanking Wang Chong for his contributions to the team over the past nine seasons, wishing him the best in his future career.
Both teams made announcements at the same time, and there was no suspense about Wang Chong leaving the Bulls for Cleveland. The move was official, causing a huge stir in the league.
Over the course of nine years, Wang Chong had brought six NBA championships and nine Eastern Conference trophies to the Bulls, even matching Jordan's legacy in terms of honors.
Considering the Bulls' roster, this was no small feat.
But Wang Chong made the shocking decision to leave the Bulls at such a critical moment and join the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team often considered a small-market team.
No one understood why Wang Chong made this choice, and no one could guess the reasons behind it.
Could it be that Wang Chong had a serious conflict with the Bulls' management, which led him to leave Chicago? But still, Wang Chong could have chosen a stronger team; there was no need to run toward the Cavaliers, a team known for struggling. Wasn't this a huge step backward for him?
After all, Wang Chong was now 29 years old, with his 30th birthday coming next season, making him a veteran in the league. He only had a few prime years left, so why waste them on such a poor team as the Cavaliers?
Of course, the Cavaliers weren't as bad as they seemed. Despite the team's mediocre record, they had potential—otherwise, James wouldn't have considered returning.
But in comparison to the Bulls, the Cavaliers were far behind.
The Cavaliers didn't have the same advantages as the Bulls, and even the city was much smaller than Chicago.
But regardless of how absurd or incomprehensible the situation seemed, Wang Chong's decision to join the Cavaliers was now a fact.
No mistake.
With Wang Chong joining the Cavaliers, they immediately became one of the favorites to win the championship in the upcoming season. No matter how poor the Cavaliers' regular-season record was this year, with Wang Chong, the media would always focus on them.
Fans in Chicago were stunned by the news; it came too suddenly, and they had difficulty accepting it. They couldn't understand why Wang Chong left Chicago. Angry Bulls fans blamed the management for his departure.
"It must have been the Bulls' management that made Wang Chong dissatisfied. Otherwise, how could he just leave suddenly without making any noise?"
The Bulls' management, suddenly under great pressure, hastily held a press conference to announce their version of the reason behind Wang Chong's sudden departure.
"It's unfortunate that Wang Chong left the team. We were also surprised when we found out about his decision, and we didn't understand why he left. Then Wang Chong gave me his reason," said Bulls General Manager Paxson, shaking his head. "He said, 'It doesn't make sense for me to stay with the Bulls; it's too easy to win here. I want to push myself further and join a team that isn't in the playoffs this season to help them win a championship.'"
When reporters and fans heard this explanation from the Bulls, their first reaction was:
"This reason is ridiculous! It's like a millionaire saying he's tired of eating steak and fish, and now he wants to eat some simple vegetables for a change. Who has nothing better to do than go out of their way to create their own problems?"
But when a reporter managed to catch an interview with Wang Chong, his response confirmed it.
"Yes, what Paxson said is true. I don't have any conflict with the Bulls' management. I just joined the Cavaliers to step out of my comfort zone, put myself in the midst of a challenge, and strive to become stronger."
Wang Chong's words provided the final word on the matter, but it also made many people feel that Wang Chong was being a bit reckless.
Even with seven championships, it didn't mean that Wang Chong was truly invincible. The Bulls had a strong roster in recent years, and their dominance was clear to everyone. Wang Chong might have been the biggest contributor to the team's championship wins, but the credit didn't belong solely to him. Did he really believe that he could win a championship on his own? Was he underestimating his teammates?
"It's likely that Wang Chong made the biggest mistake of his career. It's highly probable that he will never surpass Michael Jordan to become the first person in NBA history. If Wang Chong can't win another championship, his achievements will place him on equal footing with Jordan at best, sharing the title of the greatest player in NBA history, but he won't be able to monopolize the number-one spot in the league."
"Obviously, if he stayed with the Bulls, it would just be a matter of time before he surpassed Jordan. So, why create problems for himself?"
Of course, there were also people who admired Wang Chong's courage.
Everyone knows how difficult it is to leave one's comfort zone, but Wang Chong did it. He left the Bulls, a team that could win championships with ease, and chose to face new challenges. Everyone wondered what would happen if Wang Chong left the Bulls and couldn't win another championship. But no one thought about the possibility: What if Wang Chong actually does win a championship with the Cavaliers and delivers a title to a team that hasn't won a major trophy in almost 50 years?
If Wang Chong manages to do that, he'll surpass Michael Jordan without any doubt. And it will be difficult for anyone to threaten his place at the top of NBA history. After all, doing the impossible and turning failure into victory can truly be described as a miracle.
"No matter what others think, I'm full of expectations for Wang Chong's development with the Cavaliers next season. I can't wait for the new season to begin!"
Wang Chong, who had been at the center of the storm, remained calm throughout.
The reactions from the outside world were as expected. At that moment, he already had that level of fame.
Instead of focusing on the external reactions, Wang Chong was more concerned with how the Cavaliers' lineup would evolve in the future.
If he wanted to lead the Cavaliers to a championship next season, it would be impossible with their current roster, but Wang Chong wouldn't let the Cavaliers overextend themselves by acquiring Kevin as they did when James returned to the Cavaliers. The instant combat power of Lefou was not the answer.
For him, as a seasoned traveler, building a championship team through patching and tweaking was no problem at all, and he already had a preliminary plan in mind.
Looking at the current Cavaliers roster, there were two players who were fit to stay on the team as core members for next season, and they were naturally the two Cavaliers' champions: Irving and Andrew Wiggins.
End of this chapter
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