The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 514 - 256: 2014 NBA Free Agent Market_2

So these two improvements were urgently needed.

He currently had over 700,000 anti-fans but was still far from being able to exchange for these two first-tier talents.

He had to find an opportunity to make a big move.

The next day, upon waking up, it was July 1, 2014, and the NBA free agency market was officially open.

As soon as the free agency market opened, it immediately became bustling.

First up, as expected, were the players from the 2003 class, with James, Wade, Bosh all opting out of their player options, and Anthony’s contract expiring at this time, making them the new workforce of this year’s free agency market.

In addition, Nowitzki, Alderich, Paul Gasol, Lowry, Pierce, Gortat, and Deng were also worth noting.

Of course, these were all unrestricted free agents, and this year was the summer when the 2010 rookie class became restricted free agents.

Apart from Wall, Cousins, and a few others who received early contract extensions, players like Paul George, Gordon Hayward, Greg Monroe, Avery Bradley, Eric Bledsoe, and Chandler Parsons became restricted free agents this summer, allowing other teams to make offers.

For the Cavaliers, besides Hawes, they were also working on re-signing Deng.

Though Deng wasn’t a shooter, he could still shoot around 35%, but more importantly, he was versatile. Those earning less than him were not inferior, and those better than him were all-star players.

Especially for the Cavaliers, where not only stars were reluctant to come but under the same conditions, regular players would also prefer big cities, making re-signing Deng all the more crucial.

In addition, the Cavaliers were also keen on pursuing Channing Frye, who might have been the best big man at shooting three-pointers in the league at the time, an advantage over Hawes in that he had faster mobility and could play as a stretch big man.

Of course, some players also chose to retire after this free agency opened.

Billups, Hamilton, Luke Walton, and Battier.

Among them were two of Hansen’s former teammates, particularly Battier.

Battier had been considering retirement for a while, and after he announced it on social media, Hansen was one of the first to leave a congratulatory message.

In the past years, if there had to be a role player in the NBA who "won big," it had to be Battier.

Initially, he just wanted to win a playoff game for the Grizzlies in Memphis, but he ended up winning three championship rings.

Not just Hansen, many NBA stars, including Kobe and Durant, left congratulatory messages under Battier’s social media post.

Battier was flawless not only as a player but also off the court, making him extremely well-liked in the league.

While the final decisions on some of the big names in free agency were still up in the air, Battier became the focus of the first day.

Then, on the next day, Pat Riley began to strongly dominate the headlines.

Wade’s opt-out of the last two years of his contract was worth $41 million, but Riley indicated they could only offer a 2-year contract worth $31 million.

This was quite abstract, as it meant Wade would lose $10 million by signing, as opting out of the contract seemed to only harm himself.

Many fans, upon seeing this news, criticized Riley for being cold-hearted, urging Wade to change teams, with some fans even suggesting he move to the Cavaliers.

However, it was unclear what sort of incredible offer Riley presented to Wade, but Wade agreed immediately!

This shocked everyone, including Hansen.

He had assumed that with James being replaced by Durant, Wade’s decision would differ, but Wade proved to everyone the sayings "Good people are easy to bully" and "Old habits die hard" were not just sayings.

"Character determines destiny" wasn’t just a saying after all.

Though from a championship contention perspective, since Hansen had left the Grizzlies, the Heat were the most likely to win the championship next season, suggesting staying was the best choice for Wade, but such matters were mutual; the Heat couldn’t sign a better replacement than Wade in free agency either.

The first two days of free agency were very eventful, but the following two days were relatively calm.

The Cavaliers were also proceeding methodically.

They first renewed Irving with a 5-year, $90 million contract, which would take effect in the 2015-2016 season.

Following that, they secured Hawes with a 4-year, $24 million contract, locking down the starting center from last season.

Speaking of Hawes, last season he managed to contribute an average of 13.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.2 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 45.6% and a three-point shooting percentage of 41.6%, which should have landed him a larger contract.

But in reality, a player’s characteristics define their market; role players have a market cap.

Moreover, the Cavaliers also signed back Mo Williams with a 2-year, $7.5 million contract with a player option for the second year and Delonte West with a minimum salary contract.

However, where there is success, there naturally is also frustration.

First off, Frye’s market price was much higher than Hawes, between $8 to $10 million annually, which is too extravagant for a backup player.

Then there was Deng, who, as Conningham felt, wasn’t very interested in staying in Cleveland.

Previously, his trade to the Cavaliers wasn’t his personal desire but more because the Bulls wanted to avoid taxes.

With Ross’s yearly season-ending injuries, the hopelessness for the Bulls in championships, coupled with the punitive nature of the luxury tax in the new collective bargaining agreement, prompted the Bulls to make the trade.

Now, Deng was more interested in moving to a major city rather than staying in Cleveland.

And his reason for wanting to move to a big city was somewhat elusive.

Besides playing basketball, Deng was lesser-known for being a real estate investor.

Most NBA players prefer to invest their money into emerging technologies, such as movie production companies.

But Deng had a unique affection for becoming a real estate magnate; he had previously only done this in Africa and London, but now he was very keen on doing it in the United States.

Cleveland, besides its nice environment, also boasts advanced medical facilities; it’s fine if you invest in pharmaceuticals, but investing in real estate there is like investing in Heigang real estate, which is a guaranteed loss.

Deng’s departure became a certainty, and the Cavaliers started chasing other wing players like Ariza, CJ Miles, and PJ Tucker. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

However, this process was not smooth either; for example, Ariza, whose current intention was to return to Houston. The Rockets had offered him a 4-year, $32 million contract, but he asked the Cavaliers for a 4-year, $40 million deal.

The Cavaliers eventually signed a 3-year, $18 million contract with Tucker.

Tucker was the 35th pick by the Raptors in 2006, was cut by the Raptors, and then played in overseas leagues until returning to the NBA in 2012.

With his outstanding defensive abilities, he gradually secured his position in the Suns and became a starter.

Last season he managed to contribute an average of 9.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals per game, with an average of 2.4 three-point shots per game and a shooting rate of 38.7%.

The Cavaliers had secured a wing player to start alongside Hansen, but this contract was just a small ripple in that day’s free market.

Because on that day, James finally announced his decision.

After Hansen returned to the Cavaliers, Nike’s hometown basketball road was blocked, and James’s destination became a major focus of external attention.

Especially after Anthony announced that he would renew his maximum salary contract with the Thunders for 5 years at $129 million, James also lost his last chance for brother basketball.

Unlike the previous time, James did not use a televised broadcast to announce his decision, but rather used social media.

He published a long post, passionately expressing his gratitude for the sacrifices his family had made over the years.

"From the South Coast to Oklahoma City, from Oklahoma City to New York, I’ve lost too much time with my wife, my children. I will no longer consider only basketball, but also my life. I hope to provide my children with a great environment to grow up in."

The content of this long post echoed his previous statement, "It’s just basketball."

Of course, the focus of the article was only the last sentence:

"I will join the Los Angeles Lakers, to chase championships alongside Kobe."

The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)𝒆bnov(𝒆)l