NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 569 The Real Winner

The draft is still ongoing, and various trades and signings are continuing...

The first round of the draft is over; the second round is next.

The second round of the draft is basically like finding hidden gems; very few second-round picks actually make it big, so expecting a second-round pick to become a star is unrealistic. Don't doubt the ability of NBA scouts; they might misjudge some players, but the chances of them being wrong are usually very small.

The Clippers selected Terence Mann from the University of Florida with the 33rd pick in the second round (from the 76ers)!

In Jia Fei's previous life, Mann also played for the Clippers. As a swingman, although his offensive ability was average, his defense was very good and he was very good at rebounding, making him very suitable for small lineups.

Jia Fei chose Mann to find a replacement for Beverley. If the contract renewal negotiations with Beverley don't go well, they also have a Plan B.

The Clippers' draft isn't over yet; they still have one second-round pick. However, instead of using that pick to select a player, they made a trade!

Shams then revealed that the Clippers traded guard Lou Williams and their 55th overall second-round draft pick to the Magic in exchange for a trade exception!

The Magic are currently rebuilding and need to fill the "poor man's line." They can go on a spree of collecting junk contracts and then get some draft picks as compensation.

Lou Williams' contract isn't exactly a bad one, but with Harrell gone, keeping him wouldn't make much sense. Besides, Williams is already 33, and young guards like him typically experience a significant decline at that age. His defense is a serious issue, and the Clippers have Brunson to develop at that position, so they don't have much time for him.

A 55th overall second-round pick isn't particularly valuable to the Clippers; second-round picks can be bought with money, showing a huge difference in value compared to first-round picks. They traded their 28th overall first-round pick for four second-round picks from the Cavaliers, plus some cash, so they don't lack second-round picks.

With a trade exception, the Clippers have much more flexibility. They can use the exception to sign players mid-season, and although it expires if they don't use it, there's no penalty mechanism.

By trading away Lou Williams in this way, the Clippers have freed up $800 million in cap space for next season. Although they can't use that space to sign players (they've already exceeded the cap), it helps them avoid the luxury tax threshold, which is very meaningful.

Lou Williams' impact on the Clippers is minimal now; keeping him would only take up playing time from younger players, offering little real benefit. If he were on a minimum contract, keeping him wouldn't be out of the question, but he's on an $800 million mid-level exception, which is far too expensive.

The draft is over. The Clippers acquired two rookies, Gerald and Mann, and traded away the pick-and-roll duo of Williams and Harrell to get Kyle Anderson, who is known for his "human crawling essence".

With this, the Clippers' first phase of operations has come to an end!

The Clippers' move was praised as A: acquiring three players—Gray-Williams, Hammer, and Mann—without losing anything, while successfully trading away Lou Williams and Harrell, two players who were already dissatisfied with the team. It was a brilliant move!

Furthermore, the Clippers didn't wait a long time after the free agency market opened before dealing with Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell. Instead, they made their moves during the draft, which was very decisive and quick. They didn't let things escalate and completed the deal in the blink of an eye. I can only say they were amazing!

The day after the talent show ended, Jia Fei invited Lin Ning to pick out clothes.

When asked why he chose his clothes, Jia Fei blinked and said, "I'm attending an awards ceremony, didn't you know?"

Lin Ning suddenly remembered this, her face turned slightly red, and she smiled awkwardly: "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about the awards ceremony."

Jia Fei wouldn't blame her; it's true the season is over, but the awards ceremony hasn't even started yet. This NBA innovation, frankly, isn't a good thing. The regular season MVP hasn't been awarded, but the playoffs are already over. How embarrassing would it be if the regular season MVP's team got upset in the first round or eliminated in the first round!

When choosing clothes, Lin Ning couldn't help but admire Jia Fei's natural clothes hanger! Standing at 2 meters tall with not an ounce of fat, his upright posture, handsome face, and charming smile made him look good in anything.

The truth is, sometimes it's not that the clothes are bad, but rather who wears them. Good-looking people look good even in school uniforms, while unattractive people look bad even in a custom-made suit costing hundreds of thousands.

After choosing the clothes, Jia Fei treated Lin Ning to a meal.

After being taken home by Jia Fei, Lin Ning lay in bed wondering why Jia Fei had asked her to help choose an outfit for the awards ceremony. She wasn't anyone to him, so why? And he had never said anything like a confession. What exactly was their relationship?

This is the effect Jia Fei wanted to achieve. Confessing your feelings isn't a particularly sophisticated technique. If you can win a girl's heart simply by confessing, then your approach isn't correct; it might just be that the girl is easily fooled. Love that comes quickly will also fade quickly.

When pursuing a woman you like, the right approach is to "show interest without ulterior motives," while a common mistake is being too enthusiastic and revealing your intentions. Adjusting your mindset slightly, remaining more composed, and even keeping her a little elusive will greatly increase your chances of success.

June 25th, the annual NBA Awards ceremony.

Jia Fei attended the awards ceremony wearing a suit that he and Lin Ning had chosen together.

Host Shaquille O'Neal is truly artistic; his opening rap performance was so impressive, it's hard to believe he's a basketball player. The microphone in his hand looked smaller than a small ice cream cone.

Jia Fei's close friends accompanied him to the awards ceremony, demonstrating their close relationship.

Here is the list of winners for today's awards:

Rookie of the Year: Luka Doncic

Most Improved Player: Siakam

Best Teammate Award: Conley

Best Sixth Man: Domantas Sabonis

Coach of the Year Award: Mike Budenholzer

Best Defensive Player: Jia Fei

Regular season MVP: Jia Fei

Clearly, the Clippers are the biggest winners, and as an individual, Jia Fei is the biggest winner.

Besides winning back-to-back regular season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards, Jia Fei was also selected to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team. With this, he won almost all the top awards last season, becoming the undisputed number one player in the league!

With 3 championships, 3 Finals MVPs, and 4 MVPs, his accolades have caught up with those of the Running Man cast. Logically, he could compete for the position of league vice president of football, but he didn't do so...

If you're going to do something, do it as a GOAT. What kind of league executive vice GOAT? Does that position even exist? Jia Fei really disdains doing things like patting himself on the back.