Overall, he didn’t necessarily have to go to a big city/market team; after all, he didn’t have James’ desire to create some sort of business empire.
What he wanted was a place where the owner was willing to invest in the team.
"Actually, I have a rather immature suggestion," Rondo chimed in,
"Become a real King?" Hansen joked, having never considered this option before.
Sacramento wasn’t a big basketball market, not even a big city; the local economy lagged behind, and with the team’s poor performance over the years, many Kings fans would rather drive to Oakland to watch the Warriors play.
However, to Hansen’s surprise, Rondo nodded.
As Ajalee was the apple of her father’s eye, Hansen, as her boyfriend, would have unprecedented influence over the team.
There was no need for tactics like James’ refusal to start games to pressure the team to pay his teammates well because all Hansen needed to do was give Ajalee a call.
At that point, Hansen’s role on the Kings would be more than just that of a player; he would also take on the roles of coach and general manager.
Just as Hansen had said, he would become a true King.
And that was probably what Ajalee wanted too—to live together; who would willingly opt for a long-distance relationship!
Hansen pondered for a while and then shook his head.
The benefits were clearly visible, but the risks were also great.
Because nobody knew if he would break up with Ajalee later.
Emotions are like weather forecasts: you can see what’s coming next week, but you can’t predict what will happen next year.
He had a good relationship with Swift when they were together but split just over a year later.
If they really broke up, he would become the most awkward person at that time.
Was he supposed to request a trade because of a breakup?
That would mean his personal life had hijacked his basketball career.
After discussing for a while, the two still couldn’t come up with a good destination.
It might seem like there are many choices with 30 NBA teams, but when you really need to make a decision, you realize there are very few suitable options.
Just as nobody’s perfect, every team has its strengths and weaknesses.
And this involves trade considerations; his current trade value was more than many teams could afford.
It looked like they had to call Wallace to discuss further.
Hansen stayed in a Miami hospital for two days, with many people making the trip to visit him.
He had led the Grizzlies to a dynasty, and now he was one of the hottest figures in the League.
Feeling a bit better, Hansen then returned to Memphis.
The Grizzlies’ championship parade was about to happen.
To handle this year’s parade, Memphis authorities even borrowed police resources from surrounding areas, as if preparing for a siege.
The crowning glory of the Grizzlies was going to be a parade of unprecedented scale.
Indeed it was; even with preparations, there were significant disturbances during the Grizzlies’ championship parade.
Memphis was just too chaotic.
When the parade ended and they returned outside the FedEx Forum, the Grizzlies held their championship speeches.
This time, the speaker wasn’t Hansen, but Randolph.
Clearly, with Hansen deciding to leave, the management was planning for next season.
Hansen didn’t mind; he even hoped that Randolph would lead the Grizzlies well next season.
After all, though he was leaving, his relationship with his teammates wouldn’t change.
It wasn’t until the Q&A session with fans that Hansen finally got the microphone.
"Will we complete a four-peat next season?" a fan asked Hansen an intriguing question.
A four-peat had only been achieved by the ancient Celtics, with even Jordan failing to accomplish it.
Truth be told, Hansen didn’t have a strong desire for a four-peat.
Frankly, if Jordan hadn’t retired because of his father’s death, he probably could have done it too.
But it didn’t hold much meaning because, as Jordan himself said, once you lead a team to a dynasty, even as the core player, the desire to chase more championships wanes.
Heisley was a major reason for Hansen deciding to leave, but not the only one.
It’s good to be a winner continuously, but there are other joys in life to pursue.
Of course, that wasn’t the immediate issue; the question now was how Hansen should answer the journalist.
Because he didn’t plan to announce his departure just yet.
This clearly wasn’t the right moment.
"We will know the answer soon."
After the championship parade, Wallace resigned from his position as general manager of the Grizzlies.
This news sparked heated discussions among fans. Follow current novᴇls on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⁂𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⁂𝓷𝓮𝓽
A dynasty’s architect, like Auerbach of the Celtics, Claus of the Bulls, Kupchek of the Lakers, or even Bob Myers from Hansen’s known "history," wielded tremendous influence.
Now, with the general manager stepping down abruptly, it inevitably led to speculation.
But after resigning his position, Wallace felt relieved, sitting in Hansen’s villa, planning the next step of his career.
After learning about Hansen’s numerous requests, he offered a destination that would fulfill them.
The Los Angeles Clippers.
During this year’s playoffs, Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling was banned indefinitely for racist comments, and the League forced him to sell the team.
Although Sterling was still the nominal owner of the Clippers, a change in ownership was inevitable this summer.