After attending the award ceremony, Hansen and Jokic returned to Cleveland to start summer training.
Hansen exchanged for a First Gear hook shot talent [Sky Hook].
As for Jokic, aside from bulking up, Grover also arranged specific three-point shooting drills for him.
Increasing low-post defense while enhancing perimeter shooting is a massive challenge, even for Jokic.
It wasn’t easy to get a worker to agree to overtime, so the workload naturally had to be maxed out.
Fortunately, Jokic wasn’t lonely.
Because soon after their training started, someone volunteered to be a sparring partner.
Dedmon regained his confidence after getting playing time in last season’s finals, and now he’s eager to improve himself.
Even though it’s likely that the Cavaliers will add a veteran to replace Nene if he leaves, Dedmon sees that rotation spot as possibly his.
To achieve that, aside from defense, he needs to improve his offense.
What he needs to do is develop a three-point shot.
A 3D center, a rarity even more scarce than 3D players, is his goal.
Hansen doesn’t know who guided him on this path, but he knows Dedmon can pull it off.
This is certainly a good thing for the Cavaliers.
Having experienced the dynasty in Memphis, Hansen knows how tough the third-year challenges can be.
In addition to training, Hansen is also keeping an eye on free agency.
He’s really curious to see where James and Green end up.
Will it be like Cleveland fans chant, Green gets traded by James; or will James switch teams again to continue his royal nomadic journey; or will the two begrudgingly continue their cooperation.
The Warriors’ side won’t have results soon, but the Bulls’ side has already moved first.
To appease Irving, the Bulls completed a trade with the Hornets before the free agency began. They sent Howard and this year’s 31st pick, Frank Jackson, to the Hornets in exchange for Miles Plumlee, Marco Belinelli, and the 41st pick, Tyler Dozier.
Yes, you read that right. After the playoff mess last season, Howard’s trade value has dropped again.
You might even think that the Bulls, in this trade, were basically dumping a bad contract.
But getting rid of Howard to appease Irving is indeed quite a good deal.
However, what no one expected was that right after the Bulls traded Howard, Irving requested a trade the next day.
He hopes the Bulls can trade him to the Celtics.
This move has left the Bulls’ management completely dumbfounded.
Come on, buddy, what are you thinking!
It’s hard to understand with anyone else, but with Irving... it’s still somewhat abstract.
Irving wanting to play with Durant in Boston was a public matter last season, and now he’s unhappy with the Bulls, of course he’d want to leave.
But couldn’t you have requested the trade before they dealt Howard!
However, when Hansen saw this, he remembered that in "history," Irving’s trade request was also made after free agency signings were almost done.
Irving did it on purpose; he wanted to express his dissatisfaction in this manner.
Or maybe, in Irving’s mind, he thought the Bulls should have traded Howard right after the season ended, and delaying it was a sign of disrespect to him.
Moreover, from a competitive standpoint, the Bulls basically gave away Howard, weakening the team further. Staying would waste his prime years.
The Bulls’ management, like the Cavaliers before, didn’t want to oblige Irving’s wishes.
But this time Irving’s stance was firm; if the Bulls don’t trade him, he’ll refuse to report for the new season. Also, if it’s not the Celtics, he’ll refuse to report to any new team.
At this point, even Hansen finds it abstract.
George’s designated team spot has shifted to Irving! Dıscover more novels at 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝※𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖※𝕟𝕖𝕥
The Bulls’ management must be feeling a lot of pressure now.
However, since this involves negotiations, it won’t be resolved quickly.
Your turn finishes as mine starts.
When July 1st arrived and the free agency market opened, James announced that he was opting out of his player option.
Then, the rumors Hansen anticipated began circulating.
Rich Paul stated that unless the Warriors trade Green, the possibility of James returning to the Warriors is zero.
In other words, if the Warriors don’t meet James’ demands, they’ll lose him for nothing, no compensation at all.
Are there any players on James’ level in this year’s free agency?
Other than that, the only max-level players are Gordon Hayward and Blake Griffin.
Griffin and the Warriors, that combination just doesn’t match;
Hayward fits, but he’s clearly a notch below James.
Plus, he’s doing well as the leader on the Jazz, and might not want to come to the Warriors to be the fourth option.
James’ 1+1 contract truly is fierce, precisely pinning down the Warriors’ management.
Now Green’s cleverness has backfired, they’re in a mess.
With two major dramas unfolding in both the East and the West, fans will have plenty of gossip to enjoy.
Meanwhile, Hansen is continuing his training while waiting for the outcomes.