Listening to Chen Yilun, Durant felt his mental defenses slowly crumbling.
"As for those endorsement deals you mentioned earlier—"
Chen Yilun chuckled.
"That's true. Our small-market team can't always offer those kinds of perks. But New York?"
Even he couldn't help laughing at the thought.
"New York? Kevin, are you seriously considering New York?"
At that, Durant couldn't hold it in anymore. Covering his face, he burst out laughing.
He'd only listened to the Knicks' offer out of courtesy. His goal in leaving was to chase a championship. If he went to the Knicks, he'd be remembered as a joke in basketball history.
"You all know it too—the Knicks are throwing that kind of money at Kevin just to make up for the fact he won't win a title there."
Chen Yilun's tone was playful as he looked at Durant.
In truth, Durant's team had entertained the Knicks' offer just to raise his market value.
(Phil Jackson: Me? So I was just a bargaining chip?)
Seeing Chen Yilun wouldn't bite, Rich sighed and stopped pushing.
"Well then, let's move on to what comes next."
Durant smoothly shifted the topic.
"If I join Sacramento, what's my role going to look like? And will my arrival affect the current roster?"
Trying to hide his excitement, Chen Yilun kept his tone calm.
"You don't need to worry about ball-handling. You've seen our roster—none of our guys are ball-dominant. You can play on the ball or off it, whatever fits best."
Malone, hearing the conversation turn toward his field, quickly stepped in.
"Of course, it's still early. Everything depends on the team's actual situation. But I can promise we'll do everything possible to make you happy."
As soon as Malone finished, Chen Yilun continued,
"As for the roster, there'll definitely be some adjustments. For instance, we'll have to let go of Porter's re-signing rights. But I can guarantee this—before you arrive, the Kings will do everything possible to keep last season's Western Conference Finals lineup intact."
Durant's resolve wavered again.
Chen Yilun's message was clear: the Kings were willing to pay the luxury tax to bring Durant in and make a serious run at the championship.
With core players like CJ, Booker, and Jokić still on rookie contracts, Durant could easily help the team stay flexible. Within a year or two, they could use Bird rights to re-sign key players under the cap.
If he joined, the Kings could be title contenders for the next three to five years.
"I don't have any more questions. How about you guys?"
Durant leaned back casually, glancing at his team.
"Nothing from me."
Rich Kleiman, already resigned, shook his head like a wilted eggplant.
"Alright then, I'll think it over. I'll give you my decision in the next couple of days."
Durant stood and shook hands with Chen Yilun.
"Sounds good, Kevin! I'll be waiting for your good news."
Chen Yilun smiled confidently.
"If you plan to buy a house in Sacramento, let me know in advance. I've got some local connections—mention my name, and you'll get a discount!"
With that, he led his team out of the conference room.
"Alright, let's hear what everyone thinks."
Once Chen Yilun left, Durant finally relaxed, casually asking the others for their opinions.
"I've got no objections."
Having already been silenced by Chen Yilun's look earlier, Rich Kleiman had no intention of arguing. He might have wanted Durant to go to Golden State, but Durant was his boss. Getting too involved could only backfire.
"Sacramento's a smaller market," someone said, "but like Chen Yilun mentioned, the media pressure there would be much lighter."
"I think Sacramento's a good choice too," Durant's mother said suddenly.
"The basketball market might be small, but the city itself isn't. Life there will be comfortable and convenient."
As California's capital, Sacramento had the influence and resources of a major city, even if its basketball profile wasn't as large.
"Then it's decided—Sacramento it is. I'm exhausted anyway. Let's wrap this up. Have Chen Yilun come by tomorrow to go over the contract."
With that single sentence, Durant set the tone for the whole deal.
Poor Logo Man—after all his careful planning, he'd only paved the way for Chen Yilun.
"Hm hm hm~"
In the car, Malone glanced at the humming Chen Yilun.
"Someone's in a good mood. Did we really land Durant?"
"Pretty much," Chen Yilun said with a grin. "From the way he talked today, he's clearly interested. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked so many detailed questions. Even if there are other contenders, we're in the lead now."
"That's incredible!"
Malone's eyes widened, then lit up with excitement.
"Durant! I can't believe it—I'm actually going to coach Kevin Durant!"
The thought made him beam at Chen Yilun.
"You're the real deal. This has to be the biggest signing in Kings history, right?"
"Unless something unexpected happens—yes," Chen Yilun replied, smiling.
"Kevin, you'd better come. I've built the stage for you—it'd be embarrassing if you didn't show up."
...
While everyone waited with bated breath for the final outcome, at Yahoo Sports headquarters, one office light still burned late into the night.
A middle-aged white man of average build sat there absentmindedly refreshing the news feed.
Anyone familiar with basketball would recognize him instantly—it was the one and only Woj.
Just as he was about to pack up and leave, a crisp text alert chimed through the quiet office.
Woj glanced at the message, his expression sharpening. Without hesitation, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.
The call connected within two seconds.
"It's confirmed. You can publish."
Before Woj could respond, the line went dead.
Taking a deep breath, Woj sat back down at his desk. His fingers danced across the keyboard like butterflies.
Moments later, two short lines appeared on his Twitter feed:
"Kevin Durant will sign with the Sacramento Kings as a free agent."
"The Grim Reaper from Oklahoma City descends upon Sacramento!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser