NBA M3 - Chapter 516: Summer League, a New Crop of Talented Rookies (Patreon)

July 10.

The annual Las Vegas Summer League tipped off as scheduled.

Naturally, the level of play in Summer League couldn’t compare to the NBA, but with the NBA in its offseason, it still drew plenty of attention.

And this year’s draft class was packed with talent. Fans were eager to see how the rookies would perform in Summer League.

Today’s opening matchup featured the Cavaliers against the Warriors.

The biggest attraction was undoubtedly the offensive showdown between No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson.

One had dazzling drives to the basket.

The other had a deadly three-point shot.

Just thinking about the matchup was enough to make it exciting.

So even before tip-off, plenty of scouts had already gathered in the arena, eager to get a close look at both players and consider whether they might be worth pursuing in a trade.

The game soon began.

“Whoosh!”

On the very first possession, Kyrie Irving took advantage of a fast break, sliced through three defenders, switched hands in midair, and banked in the layup.

“Swish!”

The spectacular finish immediately brought the crowd to its feet.

Irving remained outstanding throughout the first quarter. He shot 5-for-8 from the field, including 2-for-4 from three, and made all three of his free throws for 15 points.

He stole the show.

Irving’s performance lived up to the expectations of both fans and scouts.

In fact, it exceeded them.

Klay Thompson, the other highly anticipated rookie, had a much rougher start.

He attempted five three-pointers in the first quarter and made only one.

He scored just four points in the period, struggling badly with his efficiency. Compared to Irving’s highly efficient 15 points, his performance looked even worse.

By the end of the game, Irving had done enough to sit out the fourth quarter, finishing with 28 points.

Klay Thompson, meanwhile, never found his rhythm and ended the game with only eight.

In the end, the Cavaliers won behind the outstanding performance of their No. 1 overall pick.

After the game, Irving remained the center of attention, earning even more praise for his brilliant performance.

Thompson, on the other hand, faced some criticism.

Of course, one game could never tell the whole story.

The other matchups soon got underway, and the fans quickly turned their attention elsewhere.

Over the next few days, players such as Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker, Jimmy Butler, and Isaiah Thomas all took the court and showed what they could do.

Scouts watched closely, studying each rookie’s performance, projecting their futures, and reporting back to their respective teams.

They had to decide whether to stick with the rookies they had drafted or pursue other Summer League standouts who seemed to have greater potential and a higher ceiling.

...

Summer League continued in full swing.

For the rookies, it was a chance to sharpen their skills before officially stepping onto the NBA stage and to show off their talent as early as possible.

For team front offices, it was another opportunity to evaluate players and make better roster decisions.

Meanwhile, the trade market had already been open for some time.

Although the league-wide battle for Blake, the biggest prize on the market, had come to an end, plenty of other moves were still being made.

For example, after losing in this year’s Finals, the Miami Heat made a series of moves to strengthen their roster.

They moved on from Mike Bibby, Jaamal Magloire, and Erick Dampier.

After a series of transactions, they brought in Rockets defensive specialist Shane Battier, along with Eddy Curry and rookie Norris Cole.

The Mavericks and Nuggets also completed a trade.

Dallas sent Rudy Fernández and Corey Brewer to Denver in exchange for a future second-round pick.

According to NBA.com reporter David Aldridge, the Pacers reached an agreement with David West, signing the All-Star power forward to a two-year, $20 million contract.

The Bucks also announced that they had exercised the fourth-year option on Brandon Jennings’ contract and had no intention of trading him.

Moves like these were happening all across the league.

Of course, none of them attracted anywhere near as much attention as Blake re-signing with the Suns.

Not even close.

At the same time, inside a luxury home in Houston, Yao Ming stretched out his body.

Today, he was going to meet with the Rockets’ front office to discuss a new contract.

He had become a free agent that summer.

Although injuries had kept him sidelined for nearly two seasons, his body had recovered surprisingly well, giving him plenty of confidence about returning to the NBA.

“If I go all out, I should be able to play at about eighty percent of my old level. Even under normal circumstances, I should still be able to manage around sixty percent.

“That’s really not bad.”

Yao Ming felt confident about both his physical condition and his chances of landing a new contract.

However, when he met with the Rockets’ front office and asked to re-sign, the general manager politely turned him down.

That’s right.

He was rejected.

And in truth, it was understandable.

Given the severity of Yao Ming’s previous injuries, he had once been in no condition to keep playing basketball at all.

The fact that he had recovered this much was practically a miracle.

But even though his recovery had gone well, the Rockets were still worried about possible long-term complications.

In the end, they simply didn’t dare take the risk.

And it wasn’t just Houston.

Yao Ming hit one dead end after another as he approached other teams.

Everyone knew about his injury history, and everyone had reservations.

In the end, not a single team was willing to give him a satisfactory offer.

Of course, he could still get a veteran minimum deal worth around a million dollars.

But given how well he felt he had recovered, Yao Ming clearly believed a minimum contract wasn’t enough.

“How did things end up like this?”

A few days later, Yao Ming sat listlessly on the sofa in his home.

He had never imagined he would reach the point where no team wanted him.

What made it even harder to accept was that he felt he had already recovered most of the way, yet no one was willing to take a chance on him.

He was deeply frustrated and disappointed.

“No one wants me? No one believes I can still play?

“Am I really going to have to walk away from the NBA and retire?”

Yao Ming was unwilling to accept it, yet he also felt helpless.

Just then, his phone rang.

He answered, and General Manager Lance’s voice came through from the other end.

“Mr. Yao, have you decided on your next team yet?”

“Uh...”

Yao Ming deliberately paused as though he were considering his options, preserving what little pride he had left.

“I haven’t found a team I’m satisfied with yet.”

“Well... would you be interested in joining the defending champions?”

Lance got straight to the point.

“Really?!”

The Rockets had turned him away.

He had reached out to other teams himself, only to be ignored.

Yao Ming had entered the offseason full of confidence about returning to the NBA, only to run into rejection after rejection.

It had left him feeling miserable.

So when the Suns suddenly reached out to him, he was thrilled.

Still, he quickly restrained his excitement.

Calmly, he asked, “Could you tell me what kind of offer you have in mind first?”

After all, if it was just another low veteran minimum offer, Yao Ming would rather retire than accept it.

As for me, I’m much better at writing games than this kind of material, so... writing these recent chapters has been slow and difficult!