When the Davis trade was finalized, LeBron James, far away in Cleveland, smiled faintly.
"Magic has delivered on his promise to us."
James glanced at his agent and continued, "Now it's our turn to honor ours."
"Understood."
The agent nodded and immediately turned to contact Magic Johnson.
Before the league had even finished digesting the shock of the Davis trade, another bombshell detonated.
LeBron James officially left the Cleveland Cavaliers and signed a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent.
In an instant, the entire league was thrown into upheaval.
James heading west shattered everyone's expectations. Some reveled in the chaos, others whispered behind closed doors.
But regardless of attitude, the balance between East and West tilted to its extreme at that very moment.
The league's three most dominant players—
James, Curry, and Durant—
had all converged in the same conference.
In an apartment in Oakland, Stephen Curry looked painfully at the man sitting across from him.
"George, just stay and play one more year with me."
"I really can't."
Paul George shook his head firmly.
"I made it clear when I came here—I was only staying for one year. Once the contract's up, I'm leaving."
"There's no point talking about this anymore, Stephen."
George's experience with the Warriors last season had been far from pleasant.
The Warriors' trio-centric system had long since solidified into a seamless whole, and George simply couldn't fit into it.
After all, George wasn't a plug-and-play superweapon like Durant. As the season wore on and into the playoffs, Kerr deliberately limited George's shot attempts to create opportunities for Curry and Thompson.
By the time the Western Conference Finals arrived, George had completely turned into an overpriced role player—little more than a high-end assistant to the Splash Brothers.
Under those circumstances, it was only natural that George felt no attachment to Golden State.
The moment his contract expired, he instructed his team to begin listening to offers.
At first, the Warriors had taken George's departure fairly calmly. After all, this outcome had been agreed upon from the start.
But once the Lakers completed their moves, the Warriors could no longer sit still.
Everyone knew Los Angeles was George's preferred destination. Now that the Lakers had already formed the James–Davis pairing, letting George walk for nothing—only to potentially see him join LeBron—would be catastrophic.
The Kings alone were already enough to suffocate the Warriors. Add the Lakers into the mix, and the Warriors' championship window would truly slam shut.
"Stephen, there's no need to keep trying. I've made up my mind."
Facing Curry's earnest attempts to keep him, George showed no hesitation.
"I've genuinely enjoyed playing with you this past year, but I really have to go. I hope everything works out for you going forward."
Once George said those words, Curry knew his efforts had completely failed.
"Ah…"
Curry let out a long sigh and stood up from the sofa.
"So no matter what I say, you won't change your mind?"
"That's right."
George nodded decisively. "Stephen, there's nothing more to say. I have to leave."
"Then I wish you the best."
With the talks breaking down, Curry offered a straightforward farewell and quickly left the apartment.
"Didn't work out?"
Outside the door, Draymond Green glanced at Curry's dark expression and asked quietly.
"What do you think?"
Curry snapped irritably.
"Let's go. We're heading back."
At that moment, Curry found everything about Green irritating.
When George first joined the team, he was at least an All-Star. Green immediately started throwing his weight around with seniority. When George didn't play along, Green began subtly targeting him afterward.
With treatment like that, it was no wonder George couldn't be happy with the Warriors.
"I didn't expect Los Angeles to pull something like this."
Although Green was known publicly as a powder keg with a short fuse, around Curry he was remarkably restrained.
Green understood very clearly that everything he had achieved was built under Curry's protection.
So no matter how turbulent things became outside, Green always stood firmly by Curry's side.
"What's going on in Sacramento now?"
As they got into the car one after the other, Curry asked casually.
"Chen Yilun is steady as a rock,"
Green muttered. "His biggest move was digging up two deputies from Houston and New Orleans."
"Word is Durant has already committed to staying, and Booker's extension is officially on the agenda."
"As long as his core holds, they're a championship team. If I were him, I wouldn't be in a hurry either."
Just hearing that made Curry more irritated.
"Not a single piece of good news?"
"There is one thing—though I wouldn't call it good,"
Green said after thinking for a moment.
"Apparently the Thunder are planning to blow up their current roster and rebuild around Westbrook."
"They're breaking it up?"
Curry froze.
"They just put together a Big Three and only played one season before dismantling it?"
Green nodded.
"Yeah. Supposedly the pieces didn't fit, and those three guys are set in their styles and unwilling to make sacrifices. So this is the only option."
"Any word on where the other two are going?"
Curry asked curiously.
"No idea,"
Green shook his head.
"Anthony's contract is expiring, so he'll walk as a free agent. Griffin still has four years left. Supposedly Presti in Oklahoma City has been listening to offers these past few days."
"Hopefully they end up in the East."
Curry twisted open a bottle of mineral water and took a sip.
"The West right now is more chaotic than the Balkans before World War I. Every team's at a breaking point—just a little more pressure and everything's going to explode."
Curry's worries soon became reality.
A few days later, reporter Shams broke the news.
Free agent Paul George had signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Next season, the Lakers would roll out a super lineup of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Paul George.
Their bench still featured young players like Kuzma and Hart, along with veterans such as Caldwell-Pope and Rondo.
The Lakers, who had been fighting for the top overall pick just last season, had transformed overnight into legitimate championship contenders.
...
...
"Bro,"
Paul hesitated before speaking.
"You can see what the West looks like right now."
"The Kings, Warriors, and Spurs are still standing, and now the Lakers are in the mix. If we don't team up, we really don't stand a chance."
"Look, I came alone today. Let's be completely honest with each other. I know you've had resentment toward me before, but this past year hasn't been easy for you either, right? I've done a lot of reflecting. Give your friend another shot—let's partner up one more time."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser