One Year Left to Play

Chapter 380 - 114: This Is a Good Deal

Zhang Hao looked at the newspaper, the details of the trade were all written out. If the Raptors didn’t fulfill the draft pick guarantee in ’97, ’98, or ’99, it would become unprotected in 2000!

Zhang Hao felt so regretful, thinking that even if he couldn’t get it in ’97, ’98 would be fine... "But, if the Raptors lost the ’97 draft pick, they surely wouldn’t be willing to tank, and the pick wouldn’t be that high... still kind of regretful! Trish, Vince..."

...

This trade brought not only a more rational team structure and weakened inside assault capabilities to the Lakers, but also another change.

The teammates’ perception of Zhang Hao’s position in the team changed.

The media were all saying that this was a trade the Lakers made to change the team around Zhang Hao, sparking a heated discussion about whether this choice was right or wrong.

This didn’t affect Zhang Hao much, he simply chose to ignore it.

But for his teammates, it was different.

Since the team didn’t come forward to explain anything... it was as if the team tacitly agreed with the media’s statements.

Thus, Jason Williams, who had the best relationship with Zhang Hao in the team, suddenly became very popular.

As for Zhang Hao... he wasn’t exactly annoying, but there was a rumor within the Lakers team that Zhang Hao had communication difficulties.

Zhang Hao was quite content to have some peace and quiet. If he had to face his teammates’ enthusiasm and flattery because of this, he would instead feel uncomfortable, so this was just fine.

Shortly after the team training ended at around 11 a.m., the two new players successively arrived at the gym.

After showering, Zhang Hao couldn’t help but watch the physical and technical tests of the two.

Their performances... were average. Both had ordinary athletic abilities. Technically, Doug Christie was very comprehensive and had pretty good shooting skills. An old trainer who had helped Doug Christie train a few years ago praised his massive improvement in three-point shooting. Donyell Marshall had a wide shooting range, good positioning, and decent mobility.

More things couldn’t really be seen from the tests.

But what these two showed through the tests was precisely what their team needed.

After watching the tests, Zhang Hao prepared to leave and saw a teammate—Van Exel—also coming to observe.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Hao still asked, "Nick, are you still upset?"

Van Exel looked around, and seeing no other teammates, said, "I thought I’d be happy if one day Cedric got traded away; he didn’t fit with me at all, occupying my breakthrough space. I often got blocked by him rather than the opponents and had to shoot more from the outside... But now that he really got traded, I don’t feel as happy as I thought I would."

He didn’t know why; maybe because Zhang Hao talked less and wasn’t a gossip, he chose to speak his mind.

How should one comfort this? Zhang Hao chose not to comfort him and simply said, "Oh."

Van Exel’s emotions were completely disrupted by this "Oh!" He angrily said, "Aren’t you going to ask why I’m here?"

"Why?"

"Although I don’t like Cedric, he was indeed pretty good. If the two people traded back aren’t outstanding... huh... unlike you, who can do better than Vlade and Eddie, I definitely wouldn’t approve of this trade."

"Then you should be happier; they suit you well, and they suit me well, and they are both pretty good."

"..." Van Exel felt he couldn’t even get angry anymore. He couldn’t talk to this guy... Damn it! He actually left!

Van Exel saw Zhang Hao walk away after finishing his sentence!

He was about to rant a bit, whether or not he was the new team core... But suddenly, Van Exel felt that his inexplicable low mood seemed to have disappeared!

The negative energy filling him seemed to have dissipated!

At that moment, Van Exel recalled that since he heard about the trade last night, he’d been worrying whether he might be the next one traded, and his whole demeanor screamed "gloom," full of negative energy. It seemed that even the teammates he got along with ended conversations with him abruptly today, except for Zhang Hao, who chatted with him for so long...

Now that his thoughts were clear, he realized that the one benefiting the most from this trade wasn’t really Zhang Hao, but himself!

Watching Zhang Hao’s figure disappear around the corner, Van Exel murmured, "This guy’s not bad after all..."

...

...

The game day against the Spurs had arrived!

With new players joining, on the morning of December 28th, the Lakers held another tactical meeting, which was relatively long, with Del Harris and assistant coach Kurt Rambis explaining the changes in tactics in detail.

Sibaros, the team’s second-highest scorer with an average of 19.6 points per game, had left, so the tactical changes must be significant.

A trade can trigger internal turmoil in a team, but a good trade is often readily accepted by veteran players.

Donyell Marshall, for more than a year before, was not welcomed whether it was the Minnesota Timberwolves who drafted him or the Warriors who traded for him.

The Timberwolves didn’t welcome him because they wanted to draft a core player, and although Donyell Marshall had mature skills, he wasn’t a core player at all. His scoring ability wasn’t strong... he was just a role player.

Later, Don Nelson of the Warriors took a liking to him and traded for him. During his time with the Warriors, he averaged 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, hitting 1.2 three-pointers per game. But the good times didn’t last long. Don Nelson had a conflict with the Warriors’ management and moved to the New York Knicks in the new season. This season, Donyell Marshall was basically unused, averaging only 15 minutes of playtime, which also wasn’t well-received. The new Warriors’ coach, Rick Adelman, wanted a strong inside presence... and then the Warriors’ management accepted Logo Man’s multi-party trade offer under limited conditions and got an Oliver Miller in return.