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"Whoa!"
Watching that explosive dunk from the court, Malone's eyes lit up.
"That athleticism is ridiculous!"
"Derrick Jones Jr.," Chen Yilun said after a quick glance. "Freshman from UNLV. His athleticism is off the charts."
"Too bad his skill set's still raw—typical high-flyer type."
"Sign him up for a dunk contest or two. Might help draw some attention."
Malone couldn't help laughing at his own joke.
Not that the team even had a roster spot open for a player like him—and even if they did, he wouldn't be first in line. With Kevin Durant on the roster, the Kings were already the most-watched team in the league.
"Still not used to the good life after all those hard years, huh?"
Chen Yilun teased with a grin. "Keep your standards high. Not just any random guy gets to play for us anymore."
"Oh, come on."
Malone chuckled. "If that were true, this tryout wouldn't even be happening. You're bargain-hunting in the undrafted pool and still talking big."
The two traded jokes as the tryout wrapped up.
In truth, the session had been stacked with talent.
Future All-Star and championship guard: Fred VanVleet.
Defensive specialist, the "Bald Mamba": Alex Caruso.
Future All-Star Dunk Champion: Derrick Jones Jr.
"Brother-in-law": Damian Lee.
"Little Glove": Gary Payton II.
"Campus Delivery Guy": Danuel House.
"The Electric Fan": Dorian Finney-Smith.
As Chen Yilun watched the undrafted players leave the court, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
No wonder 2016 is often remembered as the year GMs were nailed to the wall—the quality of undrafted players that year was insanely high. Some even outperformed lottery picks later on.
If his roster hadn't already been set, Chen Yilun would've gone treasure-hunting in the undrafted market himself.
"For now, let's go with these three. I'll send down a couple more first-rounders later. That should be enough for you, right?"
Chen Yilun said, scanning the roster as he looked toward Anjali.
Just earlier, Chen Yilun had signed Fred VanVleet, Alex Caruso, and Dorian Finney-Smith to 10-day contracts. If they impressed in the summer league, they'd earn two-way contracts—or play in the G League.
As for the newly drafted rookies, the Kings didn't have the time to develop them yet, so they'd also be sent to the G League to gain experience.
With those additions, Anjali finally cracked a smile.
"That's more like it. Get them over to me soon. Alright, I'm out—Stockton's still a mess and I've got a ton to handle!"
She turned sharply and left in her usual whirlwind fashion.
"Wait... is she really your subordinate? She acts like she's your boss," Malone said, raising an eyebrow playfully.
"Just because she says she's my subordinate doesn't mean it's true. Her family owns this team," Chen Yilun replied casually.
"We're just regular employees. No point arguing with the capitalists."
He patted Malone on the back.
"Want me to save one of these rookies for you? If not, I'll send them all to Stockton."
Malone thought for a moment. "Keep Dejounte Murray. He can back up CJ and take some of the ball-handling load off Booker."
Last season, with CJ injured, both Booker and Richardson had been forced to handle the point guard role for stretches.
Now with Murray, they could both return to their natural positions.
"Got it. I'll send the other two down," Chen Yilun said—then suddenly paused, realizing something.
Back when the Raptors were building up, their famous duo had also developed in the G League. After leading Raptors 905 to a championship, they finally earned their NBA call-ups.
Was history about to repeat itself?
"Oh, right, one more thing," Malone added. "If you're looking for an assistant coach, you'd better hurry. A lot of teams are already poaching staff."
"Your bargain mentor, Steve Kerr—his coaching crew's being gutted. Alvin Gentry's heading to the Pelicans as head coach, and Luke Walton's off to the Lakers to replace Byron Scott."
"That's fast!"
Chen Yilun couldn't help but sigh.
Warriors assistants were now the hottest commodities in the league, rivaling the famed Spurs coaching tree.
After all, a 73-win season doesn't go unnoticed. Every team was scrambling to copy Kerr's success story—but most would fail.
Gentry was great at maintaining systems but lacked the edge to push teams higher, especially when managing stars. His best fit was still as a lead assistant.
As for Luke Walton, he was a die-hard believer in "positionless basketball." His stint with the Lakers was a disaster—he nearly derailed Brandon Ingram's career before the kid found redemption in New Orleans.
"Alright, I'll start looking in the next couple of days. Actually, I already have someone in mind," Chen Yilun said.
"Who?" Malone asked curiously.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Chen Yilun stood up, ready to get back to work. "Oh, and take those three undrafted signings and the three rookies to the summer league. Let them get some reps. I'll leave it to you."
Last season, Chen Yilun had only paid attention to the summer league because of Ding Yanyuhang. This year, the CBA had quietly hinted at sending another player, but he'd politely declined.
Come on—like he had time to train players they sent over.
...
While Chen Yilun and Malone were busy planning the team's future, in a Sacramento gym, Dejounte Murray was drenched in sweat, training shirtless.
His sculpted muscles looked like they were carved from marble.
After finishing a strength set, he set the equipment down, picked up a water bottle, and took a few careful sips.
Growing up on the streets of Seattle, Murray always held himself to the highest standards—and with that came a strong sense of pride.
In that way, he was a bit like Jimmy Butler.
Once projected as a top prospect, Murray had even been invited to the green room on draft night.
But injury concerns scared off the higher-ranked teams, leaving him sitting there for over three long hours.
Just when he'd nearly lost hope, thinking he'd fall to the second round, the Kings finally called his name.
The experience deeply stung his pride, and from that moment on, he swore he'd prove himself.
"I'll make every one of you eat your words!"
Murray growled, gripping the training bar again and diving back into his workout.