Chapter 95: A Headache

Two days later, General Manager Glen Grunwald was getting a headache over Marcus Camby's trade request.

The team signing Yang Rui only made Camby and his agent, Rick Kaplan, more adamant.

Rick called and said, "No matter what, Marcus won't play for the Raptors next season. Do you guys even want the team to get stronger? Trusting a 24-year-old Chinese guy to lead the Raptors to the playoffs? I've never seen anyone more full of hot air."

Glen pleaded, "Stay for half a season. If Jerry Yang can't improve the team, I'll trade Marcus immediately. How about that?"

"You said the same thing last season. You traded Damon Stoudamire mid-season but didn't trade Marcus. Now he's the league's block leader with high trade value. Who knows if the coach will use him next season? And everyone says the league might have a lockout. If we don't trade during the draft, who knows when we will? We can't take that risk."

You guys can't take risks, but we can? Glen really wanted to flip out, but that would be worse for the team.

If the media reported that Camby had completely fallen out with the team, his value would drop, and other teams would lowball them.

Fortunately, Camby didn't want to completely break ties with the team either. If he really angered the management, they could bench him for the season, and the player would suffer.

"I'll think about it. If no strong team wants Marcus, don't blame me," Glen said irritably.

Camby had mentioned wanting to go to a strong team, specifically the New York Knicks.

The Knicks were the defending champions and needed immediate contributors. They didn't have time to develop new players, and even if they did, they already had an excellent role player in Ben Wallace.

Rick laughed, "I'll wait for your good news. It's best to trade on draft day. You don't want to drag this out until the season starts, right? The sooner the trade, the better for everyone."

Seeing Glen back down, the agent's goal was achieved. The Raptors knew they couldn't keep Camby and had to part ways amicably.

Glen hung up the phone. Scout Hanks came in to report and asked, "Is it about Camby again?"

"Yeah, Thomas shouldn't have picked that jerk. All he does is jump around blocking shots and can't grab rebounds. What's he so cocky about? Damn!" Glen cursed.

The Raptors weren't winning games, and Camby's stats were inflated. Other teams surely knew that. Luckily, Camby was the second overall pick in a golden draft class, so many teams were interested.

Hanks suggested, "Jerry said the power forward position is too weak. We should trade Camby for a shooting big man."

Glen sighed, "It might be hard to get someone good. You find suitable candidates. Jerry didn't specify, so it should be easier."

Hanks asked, "Should we tell Jerry about trading Camby? He mentioned he liked Camby's potential."

Glen's headache worsened. Camby was the Raptors' biggest rookie star, and he suspected Yang would be upset. If they lost their inside presence, what would they do next season?

"Let's not tell him yet. See if we can get someone strong. Jerry likes shooters... Marcus's shooting isn't good enough to be a core player under him. So, let that greedy jerk go. Hopefully, he gets injured and retires after leaving," Glen cursed.

Camby had been haggling over contracts since entering the league, wanting a high-paying long-term deal. He wasn't satisfied being the second-highest-paid player on the team as a rookie, feeling that a $2.8 million annual salary was beneath him.

The Raptors were a poor team, newly established, with the owner losing money every year and barely holding on. They had already been very generous to Camby.

But Camby wasn't satisfied. He was a greedy guy with a bad reputation in college.

Because Camby was found to have accepted $28,000 from two sports agents, UMass had its Final Four appearance vacated and was ordered to return $151,617 in NCAA tournament revenue. Camby later reimbursed the school.

The two agents from Connecticut, John Lounsbery and Wesley Spears, hoped Camby would hire them as his representatives once he turned pro. Media reports revealed that Camby also received jewelry, rental cars, and prostitutes from the agents. In the end, Camby didn't hire them but chose the more famous Rick Kaplan, aiming for more money and a better team. He had looked down on the Raptors from the start, acting like a diva for two years, even though his stats weren't that impressive.

With less than two weeks until the draft, time was tight. Glen immediately contacted multiple teams for a trade, but couldn't get any notable veterans or talented young players.

The Knicks were also a trade target for Glen. They had Ben Wallace and were looking to offload Oakley.

In Yang Rui's previous life, Oakley started for a season, averaging 34.6 minutes, 9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, making the All-Defensive Second Team.

Seeing those stats, the Raptors' management believed Oakley was still an excellent role player with a big name, even though he was already 35.

Currently, Oakley was averaging 25.2 minutes, 6.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game in the regular season, slightly improving to 7.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2 assists in the playoffs. But it seemed he couldn't play long minutes and had lost his All-Defensive honors.

After discussions, the trade didn't go through. The Knicks were willing to send Oakley, and Van Gundy loved Ben Wallace and planned to develop him.

The Raptors weren't willing. The salary difference was significant, and trading would require the Raptors to include several role players, who could be traded separately for other players. The management was fed up with Camby and wouldn't send him to a strong team like the Knicks under unfavorable terms.

In the end, Glen found that trading Camby would only result in a loss.

The Raptors wanted to trade an inside player for another inside player, which made the trade more difficult. Quality inside players were scarce in the league, and experienced stretch fours were valuable.

If they were looking for a shooting but defensively weak inside player, they could find one in free agency without trading Camby.

The worst part was that the Raptors, as a new team in Canada, had no connections with the management of U.S. teams. No one gave them any favors; everyone wanted to rob them.

The Knicks' Oakley and the Nuggets' Tony Battie were the only somewhat reliable options.

The only team with some goodwill was the Portland Trail Blazers. Midway through last season, the Raptors "assisted" the Blazers by almost giving away Damon Stoudamire, only getting two draft picks and useless role players in return.

The Blazers didn't lack shooting power forwards; even their fifth inside player could shoot. They needed a center, as veteran Sabonis was slowing down, the slowest mover in the league.

After much consideration, a desperate Glen dialed the number of Blazers' GM Larry Miller.