Early the next morning, the Kings held their routine management meeting.
The moment Chen Yilun stepped into the conference room, warm applause broke out. Led by Divac, the entire front office rose to their feet, clapping and congratulating him.
Every gaze was filled with excitement—after all, when one person rises, those around him rise as well. With Chen Yilun's promotion, everyone stood to benefit.
Chen Yilun walked to the head of the table and took his seat amid the applause.
"Everyone's heard the news, right?"
He was the first to speak.
"We all know."
Divac, seated below him, nodded. "We heard last night. Congrats, boss—this time you're really the boss."
"What boss?"
Chen Yilun chuckled. "Everything continues as usual. There's just as much work as before."
He gestured for everyone to settle down.
"Before we begin our regular meeting, there are a few personnel changes I need to announce."
At once, the room fell silent. Everyone held their breath, waiting.
"First,"
Chen Yilun opened the notebook in front of him. "Because of my new position, I will no longer be serving as the team's General Manager. That role will be taken over by Mr. Vlade Divac."
A round of sparse applause followed.
Divac stood up, cheeks slightly flushed, and bowed toward Chen Yilun.
"Thank you, General Manager Chen. I'll work hard and won't betray your trust."
"Alright, alright, sit down." Chen waved. "I still preferred you when you were a bit rebellious."
Most people were happy to see Divac promoted—everyone except Blackstone, seated in the second chair.
Even though he'd expected this outcome, missing out on the GM position still left his expression gloomy.
"Peja Stojaković will be promoted to Deputy General Manager, taking over Divac's duties."
Another round of scattered applause passed.
"We still have two vacancies: General Manager Assistant and President's Assistant. Does anyone have recommendations?"
The room stirred immediately.
"I think Mike might have someone," Divac suddenly said.
"Me?"
Blackstone froze. He had been about to say he didn't have anyone in mind when he suddenly understood—this was compensation.
Among Chen Yilun's core group, Blackstone was the only one who hadn't been promoted. By giving him the authority to fill the GM Assistant role, Chen was offering him a way to save face.
"I actually do have a few good candidates," Blackstone said after thinking for a moment.
"Dennis Lindsey or Anthony Parker would both be solid choices."
Both were well-known in league circles. Lindsey was currently working with the Jazz as a scouting consultant and was soon expected to become their VP of Basketball Operations—the architect of their future Mitchell-Gobert core.
Anthony Parker, a former player, was currently unemployed. If nothing changed, next year he would become GM of the Magic's affiliate team, then later an Assistant GM for the Magic.
"These two, huh…"
Chen Yilun rubbed his chin. "In terms of professional skills, Lindsey is stronger. But he might not want to come here as an assistant."
"I have a good relationship with Lindsey. I'll talk to him—shouldn't be an issue."
"Good." Chen nodded. "Then I'll leave it to you."
"Understood."
Blackstone agreed immediately.
"Peja," Chen turned toward him.
"Even though you're the Assistant GM now, you still need to find me an assistant as soon as possible. Otherwise, I'll be completely in the dark."
"Don't worry, boss," Peja half-joked. "If I can't find anyone, I'll keep doing it myself."
"No way. You're the Assistant GM. You can't be following me around every day."
After chatting for a bit, Peja spoke up again.
"Actually, I do have someone in mind."
"Tayshaun Prince seems to be looking for work lately."
"Who?"
Hearing that familiar yet distant name, Chen Yilun sat up straight.
As an old basketball fan, he knew it all too well—
One of the Detroit Pistons' 'Big Five,' the perimeter defensive wall of Detroit.
The 'Prince'—Tayshaun Prince!
"That's him."
Peja nodded. "He retired after last season and has been looking for an opportunity to break into management. If possible, we can bring him in for a trial."
Peja added, "Tayshaun's smart. He knows how to work."
As someone who'd played in the same era, Peja knew Prince extremely well—Prince had locked him down countless times on the court.
"If you say he's good, then let's bring him in and observe for a while."
Chen Yilun nodded, giving the candidate his approval.
...
The rest of the meeting proceeded normally. Shortly after Chen returned to his office, Peja walked in.
"Boss, Prince responded. He's willing to come for an interview."
"Great. Go ahead and arrange it."
Chen Yilun trusted Prince deeply.
In his playing years, Prince was known as one of the NBA's cleanest figures—never hitting nightclubs, always loyal in his relationships. His decade-long discipline earned him a great reputation among players.
The "Pistons' Big Five" name only gave him even more weight among younger athletes.
And as the least visible member of that group, Prince spent his entire career as a supporting piece—no one understood how to assist others better than he did.
If not for Chen Yilun's involvement, Prince would have joined the Grizzlies' front office that summer as Special Assistant to then-GM Chris Wallace, holding the role steadily to this day.
Just as Chen was preparing to get to work, a phone call interrupted his thoughts.
"Hey, Miss Big Shot, how come you have time to call me today?"
"Can't I call you just because I want to?"
Anjali's voice floated through the receiver.
"Alright, alright, I've actually got business this time."
"What's up?"
Chen perked up immediately.
"You're living the high life now, huh?"
As they'd grown closer, Anjali had become more playful with him.
"The team's buzzing with excitement, and I'm stuck all alone in Stockton."
Her voice carried an unmistakable note of resentment.
"Can you talk to my daddy? Let me come back to Sacramento, okay? It's so boring here!"