Presti didn't expect the Clippers to reject Bledsoe's trade.
The reason why they took Bledsoe with the 18th pick, who had no effect on the team, was because they wanted to trade him out.
But Presti isn't sure the Clippers want to draft Bledsoe with the 19th pick.
In the past, there would always be insiders leaking information to the outside world. This is already an unspoken rule of the alliance.
Every team has moles and informants among themselves, and there's nothing we can do about it.
Because the alliance is only so big and there are only so many professionals, all kinds of relationships are constantly being cut and messed up.
For example, Presti worked for the Spurs before, and he must have a good relationship with some Spurs employees.
It is inevitable that some information will leak to Presti's ears.
Likewise, the Thunder have some employees who have worked for other teams in the past.
They will also leak some information to other teams because of personal feelings, money or other reasons.
Also, scouts travel all over the United States all day long, and you can't keep an eye on them doing confidential work every day.
These scouts will communicate and share information in private, and some unintentional words will become intelligence in the hands of interested people.
With this information, the party with the information will be more confident when making transactions.
For example, in the 2006 draft, the Trail Blazers had information about advance discussions between the Timberwolves and the Rockets.
So he took advantage of the Celtics' pick with the seventh pick and boldly drafted Randy Foye.
Then they traded for Foye, and then traded with the Timberwolves for No. 6 pick Roy.
Not only did he complete his transaction, but he also got the players he wanted.
However, the Timberwolves failed in their operation, causing the Rockets to be unlucky and not get Roy.
If the Trail Blazers had not obtained accurate information about the Timberwolves draft, they would not have traded with the Celtics and would have traded Foye after acquiring him. This move would have been too complicated.
Therefore, intelligence is the basis for excellent trading. Without intelligence and without knowing the other party’s intentions and trump cards, it is inevitable that the opponent will lead you by the nose.
Presti was a little led by the nose this time, and the information about the Clippers' 19th pick was very vague.
Previously, the Clippers' information control was very loose, and they were basically transparent to the outside world. Anything was leaked out quickly.
This draft was airtight. Several informants told me they didn’t know, or some said they didn’t want to disclose it.
It is said that nearly half of the Clippers' scouts have gone to China, and the remaining half are concentrated in Los Angeles and have not gone anywhere.
Presti suspected that Smart, the general manager from China, used a special set of methods to control these people.
Only when information is kept confidential can it have such an iron-barrel-like effect.
Presti spent a lot of effort to learn that the Clippers might have Bledsoe with the 19th pick, but it was not certain.
This made Presti feel uncertain, but he also wanted to get a future first-rounder from the Clippers through this deal.
So, with the 18th pick, Presti still took Bledsoe, and then he received a call from the Clippers, saying they wanted to make a trade.
Presti breathed a sigh of relief, proud that his intelligence work had finally worked.
But the caller was Piombetti, who said he needed confirmation from the general manager before he could decide whether to trade.
Presti believes that the Clippers are bargaining, trying to delay time, and trading without the first or second round.
Of course he disagreed and said that the trade must be made immediately that day, otherwise he would trade with other teams.
Unexpectedly, Piombetti said, "Then you go and trade with other teams. I don't have the right to decide the transaction without Mr. Smart's permission."
After hanging up the phone, Presti looked for several other teams, but ended up not having much interest in small defenders like Bledsoe.
Either they were also unwilling to go out in the first round, so they might as well wait for news from the Clippers. Presti could only send a frustrated message saying that he could wait.
By the next day, Presti was waiting in the office for a call from the Clippers, and it wasn't until the afternoon that Piombetti called.
Said: "I'm sorry, Mr. Smart doesn't want to do this deal. He doesn't want to use a small guard in the first rotation. You can find another team. I'm sorry."
Presti was confused now. Are you kidding me? I've asked around about other teams, but to no avail.
You've played a trick on me, and now you say you don't want it anymore?
But thinking about it, Presti felt that the Clippers did nothing wrong.
Who asked you to pick Hu with the 18th pick? Isn't it just to get a first-round pick?
This is a psychological game, if the Clippers want Bledsoe.
I will definitely be tempted to call him later and agree to Presti’s bargaining chip.
So, let’s see who can endure it more!
Presti endured and endured, and finally couldn't bear it anymore after an hour.
Forget it, it's useless to keep Bledsoe in hand, and he clashed with Westbrook.
Smart, this bitch, really has some tricks up his sleeve and can endure a lot.
So Presti took the initiative to call Smart and said he could talk.
Min Congda thought, talk? To put it bluntly, I didn’t want Bledsoe in the first place.
This player can shoot suddenly because he graduated from the prestigious Kentucky school.
Who do you think I am? Can I have a player like this?
If I take it, won’t my character collapse?
The two chatted for a while, and Presti heard that Min Congda really didn't seem to want Bledsoe.
Presti felt that his lifelong reputation was ruined. How could he make the wrong choice because of wrong information?
If the Clippers don't want it, he can only think about trading it to other teams for two second-round picks or something.
"Okay, okay, Smart, you've done a really good job keeping the secret. It's amazing. It's amazing."
Just as Presti was about to hang up the phone, Min Congda suddenly had an idea and a bold idea came to his mind.
He stopped Presti and said, "Wait! Wait, wait, Sam, I suddenly have a trade proposal. I wonder if you want to hear it."
"No problem, you can say it, I'm listening."
"Sam, what do you think of Eric Gordon as a player?"
"Gordon, great, he did great in the first round of the playoffs."
Gordon successfully "limited" Kobe in the two games the Clippers won in the first round of the playoffs.
His full-court marking and unrelenting harassment of Kobe greatly disrupted Kobe's performance.
And he also made enough contributions on the offensive end, averaging 15.8 points per game in the regular season, surpassing Baron Davis.
In the playoffs, he can always carry explosives and get to the basket to score when he needs the energy.
After this season, especially after the playoffs, Gordon's value can be said to have doubled.
When the rookie contract ends, not to mention signing a maximum salary, it will definitely be upwards of 10 million a year.
Having such a player in the team is undoubtedly not in line with Min Congda's plan to mess up the team.
Min Congda wanted to get rid of this guy with a round face at the beginning of the season, but now he suddenly felt that he had found a chance.
"Sam, I use Gordon to add a first-rounder and a second-rounder in exchange for Bledsoe and Harden. What do you think?"
Min Congda gave his trading advice, and in order to show his sincerity, he also added a second round.
I'm afraid that Presti will feel that he is at a loss. After all, Harden is also the third overall pick and his performance in the regular season is still good.
There was more than ten seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, and Presti was obviously confused and hesitant.
He originally just wanted to send Bledsoe out for a first-round pick, but he didn't know that Smart suddenly made a big move.
Is he going to trade Eric Gordon? Gordon, who just shined in the playoffs? Is he crazy?
"I...I need some time to think about it. Can you give me a moment?"
"Of course. If you think about it, just call me and let me know."
(End of chapter)
