Chapter 808: Chapter 808

Hansen got up and went downstairs, skipping breakfast, and went straight to the indoor court to train for a while.

He first attempted a few dunks.

I have to say, the long arms really added a significant boost to his dunking.

Not only did his dunks become more fluid, but the difficulty also decreased significantly.

It can be foreseen that his success rate for poster dunks in the new season will greatly improve.

However, not everything was perfect. Hansen tried shooting and found that his accuracy had decreased significantly.

It’s not that the arm extension lowered his shooting percentage; rather, it’s a change that requires retraining to adapt to.

This means that this otherwise leisurely summer might not be as relaxing as expected.

Fortunately, he made the exchange at this point in time; otherwise, his performance during the season could have taken a severe dive.

It was at this moment that Hansen suddenly came up with a new idea to earn a lot of Anti-Fans points.

Once the new season begins, it will be a massive harvest.

A few days later, the Cavaliers held a grand championship parade in Cleveland.

This time, in a playful official act, the Cavaliers placed a meme of LeBron James crying at the front of the parade float.

Having James participate in the championship parade once again truly reflected the respect Clevelanders have for James and their gratitude for his contributions to the Cavaliers’ dynasty.

Choosing a crying meme also fully captured James’s mood at this moment. After all, James may have brought a dynasty to the Cavaliers, but he isn’t actually with the team.

In the parade, there were still plenty of fans holding signs saying "Stay," showing that many people supported the Cavaliers mainly because of Hansen.

After the parade, Hansen delivered his farewell speech to the Cavaliers fans at the event outside the arena.

He expressed gratitude to the team, the city, and all the fans who support both the team and the city, hoping they would continue to support the team after he leaves.

After his speech, those fans who were holding up signs asking him to stay silently lowered their signs.

Hansen had made indelible contributions to the city, and forcing him to do something he doesn’t want to by sheer will, like forcing him to stay, would only make him unhappy.

At this point, waving goodbye to Hansen and wishing him the best on whichever team he wishes to join is the right thing to do.

After Hansen’s speech, Gilbert announced on the spot that he would dismantle the fountain in front of Quicken Loans Arena and erect a new statue in Hansen’s honor.

This news hadn’t been previously discussed with Hansen; in fact, Gilbert hadn’t planned to tell him and wanted to surprise him instead.

It was indeed a pleasant surprise.

To build a statue while the player hasn’t retired yet—Hansen had experienced such an honor once before.

However, it’s clear that, even if dynasty alone might not be enough for such treatment, as legends like Jordan and O’Neal achieved similar feats without receiving such honors before retiring.

Of course, that’s undoubtedly because Hansen’s achievements are undeniable; not raising a dynasty statue would be criticized.

Nonetheless, it was also a business move by the new owner Pera to win over Grizzlies fans and revitalize the market.

But this time, the announcement Gilbert made was genuinely due to Hansen’s accomplishments in Cleveland.

The largest sports desert city in America has won not one, not two, but three championships, establishing a dynasty. No matter how you look at it, it’s deserving of such honor.

The decision was met with massive cheers from the audience.

Hansen might be leaving, but if his statue is erected immediately, it’s as if he never left. The fans’ sense of reluctance was maximized.

Finally, amidst the cheers of the fans, the Cavaliers’ championship parade came to a successful close.

When returning to the arena, Griffin pulled Hansen into his office to discuss matters regarding the 2018 draft.

"Honestly, the team already has enough players," Hansen commented after reviewing the draft list Griffin handed over.

After he leaves, Dejounte Murray can move up directly into the point guard position.

As for the shooting guard position, if Wade retires, they could get a suitable player through a trade.

Hansen would not leave abruptly like James did back then, leaving only symbolic draft picks behind.

This was also what Hansen wanted to convey after saying what he just said.

"I will leave Cleveland through a sign-and-trade. I need to include a no-trade clause in my new contract."

The condition for a no-trade clause is having played eight years in the NBA and at least four years with the current team. Hansen now meets this condition and can only get this clause through a sign-and-trade.

Griffin agreed without much hesitation.

Gilbert is building a statue for Hansen; there’s nothing Hansen could request that he would refuse.

Moreover, it’s a condition for a new contract, restricting the new team, not the Cavaliers. Google seaʀᴄh 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕥⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥

Indeed, it won’t even impact any trades involving Hansen. After all, it’s Hansen, and for the new team, they can only wonder whether Hansen wants to leave; they wouldn’t consider trading him.

It’s basically like a nuclear deterrent, meant for protection rather than use, to avoid running into clueless management like the Grizzlies did before.

Of course, after the conversation, Hansen still gave Griffin two choices.

One is Anfernee Simons, known as Little Simmons, who might lack in other areas but does have a fantastic scoring burst;

The other is Bruce Brown, who excels at sneaky plays and has strong defensive skills.

Naturally, these two aren’t starter material for a championship team but are rotation-level players.

This situation is unavoidable because in most draft years, it’s hard to find gems in lower picks, even with great scouting.

After all, historically in the NBA, there are only a few players who have become superstars from low draft positions.

In most years, one, the top draft picks have better quality.

Speaking of high-quality rookies this year, Hansen suddenly remembered.

A few days ago, Ajalee, while hoping he would join the Kings, also brought up the draft during their conversation.

This year, the Kings had a stroke of luck in the draft lottery and got the second pick.

This year’s projected first pick is Ayton, but aside from him, there are players like Doncic, Trae Yang, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Shai Gilgeous Alexander, all of whom could become future All-Stars or even superstars.

The advice he gave Ajalee before was to select Jackson first, as the Kings don’t really lack a scoring guard but need a rim-protecting big man who can pair well with Sabonis. Jackson has the potential to become a DPOY-level player, perfectly complementing Sabonis.

The second choice Hansen recommended was Doncic.

No matter what, Doncic has the highest ceiling among these players and is above the limit of the current players on the Kings’ roster.

Since it looks like the Kings are playing with fire, better play harder and see who emerges as the ultimate king of the court.

After Hansen finished chatting with Griffin, he went on a summer vacation with Ajalee.

The NBA free agency officially opens on July 1st, and until then, Hansen is still under his current contract as a Cavaliers player.

During this time, he’s not allowed to engage with other teams.

Of course, avoiding this is practically impossible; Thomas’s phone would also be ringing off the hook.

So, Hansen’s vacation was both a vacation and a means to clear his mind. He didn’t want rumors to sprout just as the free agency began, leading to media fabrications about alleged misconduct.