"You mean he only mentioned the Clippers?" Heisley furrowed his brow after listening to Rush’s report.
He actually didn’t want to trade Hansen, or rather, he didn’t understand why Hansen would want to leave Memphis.
After all, he could fix things by getting rid of Randolph and Guy’s inflated contracts.
Why did it have to come to this just because he had Wallace put the squeeze on during negotiations?
This was such a normal thing, after all, players should just focus on playing, but as the owner, he had so much more to consider.
If Hansen had been willing to sacrifice some of his salary, the Grizzlies wouldn’t have even had to consider making trades last season.
He had already invested so much in the team; couldn’t Hansen consider his difficulties?
Moreover, hadn’t he ultimately given Hansen the super-max contract he wanted?
What infuriated him the most right now was that Hansen had only mentioned the Clippers. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
What was this? Designating his own trade destination?
In Hansen’s eyes, there was no regard for him as the owner, nor any consideration for what the best choice for the Grizzlies might be.
Yes, Hansen had indeed built a dynasty for the Grizzlies.
But did he build it all by himself?
Without the people he had chosen, could Hansen have achieved that?
In the end, Hansen was just a player.
And the Grizzlies, they were his team.
"Contact the Clippers," Heisley said through clenched teeth.
Although the rumors had already started, Hansen had not yet taken the initiative to say he wanted to leave the team.
"However, listen to offers from other teams too; we need to do what’s best for the team."
Before Rush left, he called him back for one more special admonition.
When he saw Gilbert, Hansen was quite surprised.
If it had been David Griffin who came looking for him, he wouldn’t have been surprised.
After all, rumors were starting, and it was not an exaggeration to say that the other 29 teams would be interested, including the Cavaliers.
A good horse doesn’t turn back to graze, but stories of reconciliations did happen.
Gilbert sat down and explained his purpose.
"I think I’ve always owed you an apology."
Although he had traded Hansen after receiving James’s verbal commitment, no matter the reason, the decision had ultimately been his.
"Mr. Gilbert, that’s all in the past now."
Hansen’s response was breezy, though he had indeed been angry at the time of the trade, especially not knowing the reason.
But with so much time passed, especially after learning the inside story of the trade, he had let it go.
Indeed, if anyone else had been in his position at that time, between James and him, they would have chosen James.
Of course, he did not have thoughts like "I forgive you" after Gilbert’s apology because, after all, would Gilbert be apologizing if he hadn’t made a name for himself?
This was also why he was so polite; politeness often represented not respect, but distance.
"The Nike people came to see me, they hope I could collaborate with LeBron, saying that it would be the best choice for me and the Cavaliers," Gilbert said, sensing Hansen’s attitude and choosing to get straight to the point.
"But why should I give a traitor a chance to wash away his past? Bringing you back would be the best choice for us," Gilbert said, his eyes filled with hope as he looked at Hansen.
The moment he heard the rumors of Hansen’s trade, no one was more excited than he.
Because Hansen was the one who had once given his all for the Cavaliers and enjoyed unparalleled popularity in Cleveland.
Over the years, Cleveland fans had repeated how foolish the trade of Hansen had been, and their arguments with the management could have filled a book.
Now, he was willing to admit his mistakes and then correct them, even if it earned ridicule from the outside world.
Because compared to welcoming back the traitor James, this was the choice he preferred.
Hansen looked at Gilbert, his mind flooded with thoughts.
Cleveland was not a large market team, but Gilbert was willing to make substantial investments in the team.
LeBron fans had claimed that "the Cavaliers management’s unwillingness to invest" was why LeBron’s Cavaliers 1.0 failed, which was utter nonsense.
Whether in 1.0 or 2.0, the Cavaliers’ investments for James were among the highest in the league.
In fact, between 2003 and 2018, the Cavaliers’ total luxury tax payments were second only to the New York Knicks in the league.
The "history" of the Cavaliers losing $40 million in 2016 despite winning the championship was because the team paid $54 million in luxury tax that year.
Plainly put, the Cavaliers’ lineups over those years were not bad at all; what was lacking was the man James himself.
You say no superstar wants to go to Cleveland, but were there other cities with superstars at the time?
That era cherished the "kings don’t consort with each other" principle, which is why the summer of 2007’s assembly of The Big Three in Boston caused an earthquake across the League.
It was only later, as times changed and stars teaming up became the norm, that the narrative of no stars wanting to join Cleveland emerged.
However, this was also the second issue Hansen thought of; returning to Cleveland meant no other stars would join him.
His support would only be Irving, which would be a huge challenge for contending for a championship.
Of course, returning to the Cavaliers had its benefits too.
Gilbert was a man who could bend or stand tall, and he had yielded to James in "history." Hansen, upon his return, would likely receive similar or even better treatment.