Chapter 820: Chapter 820

Because Hansen made his decision after careful consideration, by that time most free agents had already reached agreements with other teams, leaving the Kings with limited choices from the remaining players.

McGee has some issues, but he’s talented and only 30, so he’s still sufficient as a backup.

However, it was during this time that a major problem arose for the Kings.

That summer, Hansen’s decision was the most closely watched event, but besides this, there was another issue equally as intense.

After Leonard was injured by Pachulia’s undercutting, his injury condition became recurrent, which led to a significant rift between him and the Spurs’ management regarding this injury.

Leonard’s contract was set to expire next summer, and due to concerns over his injuries, or perhaps out of team tradition, the Spurs wanted Leonard to accept a contract extension below the maximum salary.

But Leonard refused to make any concessions on this matter, and their negotiations repeatedly broke down.

Eventually, Leonard requested a trade from the Spurs. The Spurs then realized Leonard was different from GDP and decided to offer the maximum salary, but unfortunately, Leonard was resolute in leaving, and even Popovich’s personal involvement was to no avail.

The negotiations even dragged on longer than Hansen’s decision, causing further chaos in the market.

Although Leonard’s star power was much smaller than Hansen’s, he was still a top star in the league, especially as one of the rare two-way stars in the league.

As long as he could play, acquiring him through trade was definitely worthwhile.

But the awkwardness lay in the fact that trading for Leonard required significant assets, and his contract only had one year left with substantial injury risks.

If things went awry, you might pay a hefty price to acquire him, only to find it was all for nothing.

Thus, this negotiation was also delayed repeatedly.

Finally, the Spurs reached a trade agreement with the Raptors, sending Leonard and Danny Green in exchange for Derozan, Poeltl, and a protected 2019 first-round draft pick.

The Raptors paid their team core, a lottery pick, and a future first round, which was undoubtedly a gamble. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⚫𝙣𝙚𝙩

This matter seemed unrelated to the Kings, but importantly, the Kings were involved in this transaction.

They proposed a trade plan to the Spurs, hoping to trade Tatum, Guy, and a future first-round pick for Leonard.

This proposal failed to impress Popovich, but after Leonard’s trade settled, the previously submitted trade proposals were exposed by the media.

Hansen was furious when he heard the news upon returning.

Because he knew nothing about it.

In other words, Divac bypassed him and Rondo to negotiate directly with the Spurs on the Leonard trade.

The reasons behind this were mostly predictable, as each of Divac’s proposals had been rejected by Hansen before, so he decided to handle it himself.

Strictly speaking, he was the general manager.

From Hansen’s perspective, being a transmigrator, he knew that if the trade went through, it would certainly be profitable.

But the problem was, it involved Guy, which meant putting an important teammate of his on the shelf.

And the fact that the trade didn’t go through planted a landmine in the team’s atmosphere for the new season.

Of course, the most important thing was that Divac not only challenged his authority but also dumped a big mess on his head.

Everyone knows that Hansen calls the shots at the Kings now, so the two players involved in the trade would definitely think that way too.

There might even be an external view that "Hansen, just like James, trades rookies for star teammates."

Although from the perspective of gaining black fan value it’s a good thing, the internal problems for the team would be significant.

Therefore, Hansen went directly to Vivek after returning, demanding that Divac be fired.

As a general manager, being foolish is not a problem, as long as no one takes him seriously.

But if being foolish means being smart-aleck, then he definitely cannot stay.

Vivek was very straightforward, and after understanding the entire story, he relieved Divac the next day.

No matter if he was a Kings legend, in Hansen’s eyes, he had no standing whatsoever.

Moreover, after this incident, for the team’s atmosphere for the new season, Divac had to pack up and leave.

"They will never succeed since decisions have always been made by people who do not understand basketball there."

Divac was filled with resentment for being fired under such circumstances and directly cursed the Kings.

However, the Kings didn’t pay much attention to this. After firing Divac, Vivek even handed over the power to select the general manager to Hansen.

Since he chose to cooperate with Hansen, he must trust him unconditionally.

After all, if even Hansen couldn’t lead the Kings to success, then the Kings could never achieve it.

Hansen didn’t expect Vivek to do this, but since the power was given to him, he had no reason to refuse.

He quickly thought of someone.

It only took one phone call to finalize his choice.

Chris Wallace, the former Grizzlies general manager, who resigned from Memphis because he didn’t want to trade him.

He was soon hired by the Brooklyn Nets as the team president to help the Nets begin their rebuilding.

During his tenure, he made several moves, selecting Jaylen Brown and Lonzo Ball, which generally performed well.

However, with a change in ownership at the Brooklyn Nets this year, he, as the former team president, was also dismissed.

Currently idling at home, he’s the perfect candidate for this moment.

Wallace’s acquisition of Hansen from Cleveland showed his outstanding abilities as a general manager. Moreover, his close relationship with Hansen made it impossible for him to make any unannounced moves like Divac.

Thus, from the team’s operations president to the general manager to the head coach, everyone became Hansen’s "own people," meaning his every word would become the decision. In Sacramento, he had truly become the King.

The only thing he needed to do was to claim a true crown for his throne.

After settling the general manager position, Hansen kicked off his annual personal training camp in Sacramento.

This year’s training camp was more lively than ever before because, apart from rookies, someone showed up who Hansen never expected.

A distinctive backpack and a packet of crispy noodles in hand, with that youthful and handsome face.

After eight years, Durant once again came to his training camp!

But Durant didn’t come alone; along with him was Irving.

Both seemed in good spirits, greeting Hansen together like old friends who hadn’t met in a long time.

Irving’s visit was understandable, given that his conflict was with the Knights’ management, not Hansen.

As for Durant, Hansen was truly clueless.

But he didn’t ask either.

However, things in this world are like that; what you constantly pursue may never reveal its answer, but when you stop caring, the answer might reveal itself.

As that year’s training camp was nearing its end, Durant took the initiative to chat with Hansen.

"Aren’t you curious why I came this year?"

Hansen shook his head, "I’m just glad you are here."

With Durant’s presence, the quality of this year’s training camp improved significantly.

This year, he exchanged wingspan ability, which required adjustments to the most suitable state. Just like when he exchanged those dynamic talents, he couldn’t just rely on practicing alone; high-level matches were necessary.

So Durant’s arrival was a great help to him.

Durant flushed with embarrassment as Hansen, as always, showed no mercy.

However, he didn’t get angry and instead explained: "Kyrie told me your training camp needed high-level matches, so I came."

"So... you came to help me?" Hansen was utterly surprised.

Durant nodded firmly, full of confidence: "Because you’ve left Cleveland, the championship for the new season will be ours."