Chapter 98: A Classic Exchange, Destined Fate

The draft, which used to be a bustling event, quietly kicked off in Vancouver.

The media's evaluation of this year's rookies was mediocre, believing they were far inferior to last year's. Only Yang Rui knew that the so-called experts were talking nonsense; the success rate of this year's rookies was very high, with several stars emerging from the top ten picks.

Following the fourth pick last year and the third pick the year before, the Grizzlies, holding the second pick, were ready to select a promising newcomer.

Glen Grunwald was also a subject of ridicule among his peers upon entering. The Raptors had high picks year after year, making them a pair of hard-luck brothers with the Grizzlies. Hosting the draft in Canada seemed like a form of compensation for them.

Yang Rui and Glen chatted about the draft and trades.

The two draft picks acquired from the Trail Blazers in the Stoudamire trade were for the next season, so the Raptors only had two picks this year. Therefore, Yang Rui could only make the call in the second round, and the pick was quite low, at 47th.

The management had previously promised that Yang Rui had the right to recommend a few minimum-salary role players from the free market, and whoever he chose, they would definitely sign.

This kind of goodwill gesture was generally only useful for new head coaches; established coaches would certainly scoff at it. The chances of finding a strong player among minimum-salary players were too low.

Yang Rui felt it was enough. Even if the Raptors wanted to attract big-name stars, no one would want to come; they could only rely on development. If he didn't know the Raptors' roster had potential, he wouldn't have come either.

"Glen, there will definitely be trades before the new season starts, right? Can I designate a few players as untouchable? They are crucial in the system."

"Of course," Glen agreed readily. The Raptors had no stars, and the players' salaries were low, so it didn't matter who stayed.

Yang Rui took out a notepad and a ballpoint pen and wrote down three names: Billups, McGrady, and Christie. Apart from these three, anyone else could be traded.

He didn't mention Carter and Jermaine O'Neal; these two were definitely staying, so it was pointless to say.

Seeing that there were only three untouchables in Yang Rui's mind, Glen sighed inwardly at how bad the Raptors were. He was a bit surprised to see Billups' name.

As the third overall pick in 1997, Billups had performed very poorly with the Celtics, with a 39% shooting percentage, 33.9% three-point shooting, average organizational skills, and averages of 11.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.

After being traded to the Raptors mid-season, Billups performed even worse, averaging 11.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 31.7 minutes per game over 29 games, with a 34.9% shooting percentage and 31.6% three-point shooting.

Glen thought Billups' penetration ability was average, half of his shots were three-pointers and not accurate, he didn't look like a point guard at all, and his personality was problematic. He was considering how to trade him away.

"Are you sure you want to keep Billups?"

"Yes, his height is 6'3", very strong. With good training, he can be an excellent defensive player at the point guard position. Moreover, his main scoring method is long-range shooting, which fits my tactical philosophy. Trust me, he will be an important part of the Raptors."

"Alright, I hope he can live up to his draft position," Glen said with a wry smile.

He still didn't like Billups because he was a troublemaker; otherwise, the Celtics wouldn't have been eager to trade him away at a loss.

Commissioner David Stern came out to give a speech, and the draft officially began.

Clippers GM Elgin Baylor was the first to submit his pick, selecting center Michael Olowokandi, nicknamed "The Kandi Man."

He was a Nigerian immigrant, and for some reason, many experts compared him to the great Hakeem Olajuwon, making him the second consecutive non-American-born number one pick after Duncan.

Like Olajuwon, Olowokandi hadn't been playing basketball for long but picked it up very quickly. After only a few years, he dominated the NCAA Pacific Division in his junior year, averaging 22.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 2.88 blocks.

Yang Rui greatly admired Elgin Baylor; it was a miracle that this guy could hold the GM position with the Clippers for so many years without the owner going after him.

Baylor's vision was unparalleled; he never made the right pick in the draft, with the best player he selected being Odom. During his tenure, the Clippers were always a lousy team.

The gap between Olowokandi and Olajuwon was huge; he couldn't shoot outside the paint, and his free throw percentage was just over 50%. The most amazing thing was that this rough player once said in 2005, "Actually, I'm a shooter."

The Grizzlies selected point guard Mike Bibby with the second pick. This puzzled many, as the team clearly lacked a good scorer, and they overlooked a bunch of super swingmen.

Choosing Bibby planted a seed of trouble for the Grizzlies' future. In Yang Rui's previous life, the Grizzlies finished last again next season and selected Francis in 1999, another point guard. Francis refused to join no matter what, and they had to trade him away.

The Nuggets selected big man Raef LaFrentz with the third pick. He had a left-handed three-point shot and was good at help defense and shot-blocking, very impressive.

In Yang Rui's previous life, he signed a seven-year, $72.5 million contract, but unfortunately, he started getting injured and lazy afterward, becoming a bad contract.

The Raptors selected Jamison with the fourth pick, then immediately traded him to the Warriors for the fifth pick, Carter, plus $800,000 in cash.

Glen showed his cunning side as a professional GM. He had already found out that the Warriors' target was Jamison and intercepted him in advance, making a small profit. This kind of penny-pinching team loved to calculate like this.

Carter smiled as he took the stage, knowing he would end up with the Raptors. He and McGrady were distant relatives and had already prepared to fight side by side through phone calls.

The Mavericks selected big man Robert Traylor with the sixth pick. He was 6'8" and weighed 285 pounds, earning the nickname "Tractor."

The Kings selected point guard Jason Williams with the seventh pick.

The 76ers selected point guard Larry Hughes with the eighth pick.

The Bucks selected Dirk Nowitzki with the ninth pick.

The Celtics selected forward Paul Pierce with the tenth pick.

The Celtics got a steal; Pierce was severely underestimated. He was ready to contribute immediately and was already putting up star numbers in his second year, pushing out the team's original starter, Ron Mercer.

At this point, the classic trade of this draft appeared: the Mavericks traded Traylor to the Bucks for Nowitzki.

The German star was destined to start his stellar career with the Mavericks, while the Bucks got their desired big man, adding an excellent water boy to their bench.

Yang Rui had also thought about whether the Raptors would be stronger if he suggested trading Jamison for Nowitzki and a role player from the Bucks. Nowitzki's peak lasted longer than Carter's, and he surpassed Chamberlain in total points by the time he retired.

But Nowitzki wasn't ready to contribute immediately; he needed time to develop before he could be effective. Moreover, his physical fitness was average, and he was criticized by the media for years as being "soft." In terms of popularity, he was far behind Carter and wouldn't be seen as Jordan's successor.

The Raptors needed popularity and a star to attract attention. In this regard, no one in the entire league was more suitable than Carter.

In any case, Yang Rui believed the Raptors would be very strong next season, even if there was no time for training and integration.