Thunder draft hut.

Presti's expression at this moment was as if he was constipated.

His draft style is like that of a jaguar, hiding in the dark and then accurately taking down the target.

The same operation was done when Westbrook and Ibaka were selected last year.

This year, his target...that's right, it's Xu Yong.

Harden was once his top priority. Although the Thunder already had Westbrook, he was more of a "scoring point guard" and Durant had no organizational skills. They needed a point guard like Harden who could organize.

But Harden's problem is just as the draft report said, his ball possession rate and turnover rate are too high.

The latter may be improved, but the former is in direct conflict with Westbrook, because Westbrook cannot play without the ball due to his poor shooting.

In contrast, Xu Yong naturally became his first choice.

There is one point about Xu Yong that is easily overlooked by others, and that is his ability to improve.

In his freshman season, although Xu Yong had excellent physical fitness, he was still just an off-ball scorer and a high-quality or even top-level role player.

But by his sophomore year, Xu Yong had already become the second ball handler, and he also developed a stable pull-up shooting ability, and his dribbling and breaking through were significantly stronger.

This is a terrifying thing, which means that Xu Yong has a lot of room for improvement in the future, which means he has great potential.

In comparison, one point in Harden's draft report is that he has little potential.

Even when other managers were focusing on Xu Yong's performance in the finals, his attention was on that semi-final.

In that game, Xu Yong was fouled, but he was not injured.

It seemed like a small detail, but it dispelled his biggest concern: the injury problem of the yellow race.

In fact, yellow players are not much worse than white players in terms of physical talents. Their biggest problem is injuries.

But Xu Yong, just like his jumping ability, is an outlier among the yellow race.

One last point, Xu Yong does not take up much ball possession and his defense is better than Harden, so he will be a very good fit for the team.

So he had been eyeing Xu Yong for a long time, and he was not worried at all.

Because according to the information he got, Xu Yong has a high probability of going to the Knicks with the eighth pick, and a small probability of being taken by the Kings with the fourth pick.

But that doesn't matter because he will intercept it quietly.

But he never expected that the Grizzlies, no, the Bulls actually snatched the deal!

Moreover, the Bulls spent a lot of money to get Xu Yong, even giving away two starters and a future unprotected first-round pick.

Not to mention how well Thomas and Salmons played last season, just talk about the unprotected first-round pick. If the Bulls don't make the playoffs, then the Grizzlies will be like Qin Shihuang touching the electric wire, and it will be a waste of time to win.

You have to know that after the Bulls did this, most of the players left on the team are still on rookie contracts, so this is a high-probability event.

It's both the present and the future, so it's not an exaggeration for the Bulls to say that they are trading half of the team for Xu Yong.

The most important thing is that there was no news at all before.

If so, wouldn't it be much easier for him to trade the No. 3 pick for the No. 2 pick than for the Bulls to trade the No. 5 pick?

This confidentiality work can be called a "confidentiality card".

This is also the first time he has miscalculated since taking over the Thunder.

But it has happened, what else can he say except congratulating the people of Chicago?

Now he faces the choice of who to select with the third pick.

During the five minutes of waiting before the Thunder made their third pick, Grizzlies fans were already going wild on social media.

"When Chris Wallace took office two years ago, he gave Pau Gasol to the Lakers for free. Now they have changed the second pick to the fifth pick. Can anyone tell me what is in our general manager's head, shit or excrement?"

"I miss 'Logo' so much now. He made us a strong team in the Western Conference, but now I feel like I ate shit."

"I've died twice. Once when I heard that we actually used the second pick to select a yellow player, and once when I heard that our second pick turned into the fifth pick. Please really kill me!"

"Brother, think on the bright side. The Bulls gave up two starters to get Xu Yong. They may not make the playoffs next season. The draft pick we got may very well be a lottery pick."

"Does this make any f*cking sense? You feed me shit and then tell me there's a chocolate bar in it?!"

…

Stern walked to the stage for the third time and announced the Thunder's third pick.

"In the 2009 NBA first round, with the third pick, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected James Harden, a 1.96-meter shooting guard from Arizona State University."

In the absence of Xu Yong, Harden became the best choice for the Thunder.

As for Tabit, he did not catch Presti's eye.

Harden also stood up excitedly and went on stage.

This pick was three spots higher than his expected sixth pick.

And who could have thought that the small Arizona State University would produce both the second and third place picks at the same time!

…

Kings draft hut.

Petrie's expression was complicated.

After a fierce ideological struggle, he finally decided to make a bold decision and forcibly picked Xu Yong with the fourth pick.

When the Maloof brothers asked him about it, he said he got the wrong envelope during the draft.

Although that meant he had to take a huge risk, it was his feeling after working for the team for fifteen years and he didn't want to miss such an opportunity.

So while waiting, he was nervous and excited.

He even rehearsed in his mind how surprised he should be when Stern announced that the Kings had selected Xu Yong.

Now, all his preparations are useless and he doesn't have to take any risks because Xu Yong was picked with the second pick.

For a moment he didn't know whether he should feel relieved or sad.

…

Stern walked to the curtain for the fourth time.

At this moment, the most nervous people at the scene were actually the Grizzlies fans.

Because after the Thunder chose Harden, Thabeet was still not selected.

So as long as the Kings don't choose, they still have a chance to get the big man they want.

"With the fourth pick in the first round of the 2009 NBA draft, the Sacramento Kings select... Tyreke Evans, a 1.98 meter point guard from the University of Memphis."

When Stern announced the result, there was a cheer from the fans of the Grizzlies.

They are the group with the strongest presence tonight.

At the same time, fans on social media were also in a frenzy.

"I was wrong. I have to apologize to Chris Wallace. Now we can select Thabeet with the fifth pick! God, he is simply the second 'God of Calculation'! How incredible!"

"Wallace is so great. Not only did he bring us Thabeet, the 2.21-meter giant, but he also got the Bulls' first-round pick for free. This is definitely one of the greatest trades in NBA history!"

"Let's pop the champagne, we are the biggest winners of this year's draft!"

…

Five minutes later, Stern walked to the stage for the fifth time and announced the Grizzlies' choice amid the cheers of Grizzlies fans.

Without much surprise, the Grizzlies picked Thabeet with the fifth pick.

The Grizzlies fans cheered again, and some fans couldn't help but dance on the spot.

The live camera turned to Tabit, and Tabit's expression... was like he was constipated.

He could have been the second pick, but after a series of inexplicable moves, he became the fifth pick.

The management of the Bulls and Grizzlies were happy, and the Grizzlies fans were happy, but his losses were more than just hard cash.

Because the person who was elected as the second place was Xu Yong!

Not only did Xu Yong block him on the court initially, he also blocked him at the draft!

A world was created where only Tabeet was injured.

It was at this time that Xu Yong finished his interview with reporters and left the press conference.

At this time, Schwartz was already waiting for him at the door.

But he was not alone. There were two people around him, one he had never met, and the other he had met once at the United Center training hall, the Bulls head coach Vinny DeNagro.