Kevin Martin's retirement was undoubtedly a big news, and it quickly surprised the fans in Minneapolis.
Although Martin cannot play the role of a superstar like Zhao Feiyang in the team, it has to be said that his presence on the back line is still quite important.
Not only can he lead the second team to get into shape, but he can also fill in for the starting lineup when Zach LaVine is not in good shape from time to time.
Especially his stable long-range shots are definitely one of the most useful aids for the Timberwolves.
Now that he has left the team, there is undoubtedly a void in the Timberwolves' defense. Although Ricky Rubio can also play a role in organizing offense, his role as the only one in the second team is really limited.
If they want to continue to compete for the championship next season, the Timberwolves must strengthen every position on the team.
Otherwise, they will never be able to get past the Golden State Warriors.
So, the day after Kevin Martin announced his retirement, the Timberwolves management held a high-level meeting.
In order to strengthen the team, the management decided to start in the free market as soon as possible and conduct transactions with other teams. They must find ways to find players with high enough cost-effectiveness as early as possible.
At this time, in a luxurious villa far away in Oklahoma City, Serge Ibaka, one of the former "Four Young Thundermen", was anxiously waiting for news.
The reason was a call from the agent.
"Sergey, Durant is really gone... Russell should stay, but the Thunder management seems to have plans to rebuild..."
"Someone leaked the news to me that they plan to trade you...I can't be completely sure yet, but the management is holding a meeting today, and after the meeting is over, there will be definite news... ..”
Ibaka was a little panicked when he heard that he was going to be traded.
Since entering the Thunder through the NBA draft in 2008, he has never left the city.
Although this is just a small place that is not taken seriously by most teams in the league, through many seasons of hard work, the Thunder have long become one of the most competitive teams in the league.
Especially with their performance in the past few seasons, it can be said that the Thunder are very close to winning the championship. Although they are always unfortunately eliminated at the last moment, they are definitely capable of winning the championship.
Ibaka sat lonely on the sofa, staring at the game replays on the TV with a numb face. His mood began to worsen, and his body seemed to have lost strength. He only occasionally turned his head and saw the old photo on the bookshelf. Only then could his brain calm down briefly.
"No!"
Ibaka shook his head with a complicated expression.
That old photo reminded him of too many things and made him feel even more uncomfortable at the moment.
That's right, the photo is none other than a group photo of the original "Four Young Masters of Thunder".
It was an ordinary training day. After the four of them finished playing the game in the arena, they happened to meet a reporter who came to interview. They took the photo with the help of the other person's camera.
In addition to Ibaka, the other three are Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and James Harden.
The four of them had such a good relationship at that time. They trained together and left the gym together, went to nightclubs to relax together, attended parties together, and took their families to parties together.
They were like old friends for many years, with mutual respect and joy.
At that time, their goals were extremely consistent, which was to work together to win the championship in this underappreciated city.
They did.
In the 2011-12 season, they defeated all the teams in the Western Conference to become the Western Conference champion, and met the then-powerful Miami Heat in the finals.
They thought that their lineup was strong and they came from the stronger Western Conference. They thought they could defeat the Heat with the Big Three. Even if they couldn't beat them, playing at least six to seven games would not be a problem.
Unfortunately, reality slapped them in the face in the end, and they were eliminated by the Miami Heat, which had the Big Three, in just 5 games.
In other words, they only won one game in the series when they were full of confidence.
By the end of that season, James Harden was sent away by the team management, and their dream of "fighting side by side to win the championship" was shattered.
Later, the "Four Young Thunder Boys" became the "Three Young Thunder Boys", and they were still struggling to chase the championship.
Until he was defeated by the Golden State Warriors for two consecutive seasons and Kevin Durant's contract ended, he finally couldn't bear it anymore and chose to leave this place.
Durant's departure was also one of the key reasons for the team's eventual separation and collapse.
Everyone knows that if Durant had not left, the Thunder might still have a glimmer of hope. Now that he is gone, it is impossible for the Thunder to win the championship with their current lineup.
"I never thought I would leave this city one day..."
"It seems that maybe everything is destined..."
Ibaka said to himself.
Just when he was stunned, his agent called again.
"Hey, Serge, the news is out... The Thunder management decided to put you on the trade shelf... Man, it looks like we have to get out of here this time... "
"You don't have to worry, I will find a way to help you communicate with them, and try my best to help you find a team that suits you..."
Ibaka sighed helplessly, said a few words and hung up the phone.
He knows very well that the agent's words are only comfort. Once his contract is not over yet and he is put on the trading shelf, his fate will no longer be decided by him!
Soon, the Thunder management released news that they decided to officially trade Serge Ibaka.
Other teams in the league have been waiting for news from the trade market. As soon as they heard that the Thunder put such a player on the trade market, many teams immediately contacted them.
The Minnesota Timberwolves also received this news. Regarding Serge Ibaka's situation, the team management immediately held a meeting to discuss it.
"Serge's performance is very good, whether he is playing the fourth or fifth position, he is very strong...The most important thing is that this player is hard-working and has done a lot when he was with the Thunder. Dirty work..."
"I think we can win him! You can even pay some price. If he can come to the Timberwolves, our inside lineup will definitely be greatly strengthened next season..."
"Yes, this season he averaged 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game... He is definitely very valuable to us... His contract is only over 12 million US dollars. Acquiring him with the team's existing salary space is definitely not a problem..."
