In order to ensure being selected by a specific team, participating only in that team's tryouts is not uncommon at the draft.
For instance, Curry rejected most teams this year and only participated in tryouts for the Kings, Knicks, and Bobcats.
This situation is more common for first-round prospects, while it's relatively rare for second-rounders.
However, it's not unheard of.
Take Austin Reaves, who turned down tryout invitations from all other teams to join the Lakers.
Han Sen's draft stock is currently projected to be at the end of the second round, and being picked 43rd is a considerable temptation for him.
Moreover, Riley's question struck a chord; he likes the city of Miami, and joining the Heat would be a great choice.
"Mr. Riley, I want to join the Heat, but I also want to complete the remaining tryouts because I want to know if I have a chance to go in the first round."
The biggest difference between the first and second rounds of the NBA draft is that first-round players are guaranteed a four-year contract, while second-round picks usually get non-guaranteed contracts, and even when guaranteed, it's often just the first year.
Previously, he didn't have such thoughts because his goal back then was simply to get picked.
But now, after going through two rounds of tryouts, he realized he is just as good as the prospects expected to go in the second round, so naturally, he wants to aim higher.
As for why he chose to be honest, it's because he was talking to Riley, a shrewd individual. A thousand excuses can't compare to a sincere approach.
Riley looked at Hansen for a while before finally smiling:
"Our commitment to you in the draft remains unchanged. If you receive a better draft commitment, I hope you can let me know."
"No problem, Mr. Riley."
Hansen accepted Riley's new terms.
Leaving the office, Hansen felt very pleased.
It's common in the NBA for draft commitments to ultimately not be honored; after all, verbal agreements lack actual binding power.
However, the fact that Riley added new conditions after his statement indicates that the Heat is genuinely interested in him.
In other words, as long as nothing major goes wrong, he has effectively secured the 43rd pick.
This was even smoother than he expected, and he had no reason not to feel happy.
After completing tryouts with two Eastern teams, Hansen hurried to the West, where he would participate in tryouts for the Suns, Thunder, and Grizzlies in turn.
Hansen's tryout with the Suns went very smoothly.
Head Coach Alvin Gentry expressed great interest in Hansen, and before the tryout even finished, he pulled him aside for a long chat.
Soon after, the latest draft predictions were released by NBADraft, showing Han Sen had climbed from the end of the second round to the middle, with the Suns projected to pick him at 48.
During NBA team tryouts, the management not only keeps tryout information under wraps from the media but also asks staff to maintain confidentiality to prevent their true intentions from being discovered by other teams.
However, at the tryout venue, aside from management and staff, there are also rookies participating in the tryouts, so this confidentiality doesn't always work.
Take the Suns' tryout as an example; it was clear to everyone that Gentry and Han Sen were having a great time chatting.
Yet, Hansen felt that the draft prediction was still not enough.
Moreover, during this busy period of tryouts, he hadn't had time to manage his social media, causing his negative follower count to rise slowly.
So, before heading to Oklahoma for the tryout, Hansen posted a personal status on Facebook.
"I am the Best Defensive Player of the 2009 Class."
Hansen had already attracted a large number of negative followers due to his previous antics.
As soon as he posted this status, especially with the incident of him breaking Jordan's rib still making waves, his negative follower count skyrocketed.
"You may not be the best defender, but you're definitely the dirtiest— after all, you can take down a 46-year-old."
"NCAA's top shooter, Best Defensive Player of 2009, why don't you say you should be the first pick?"
"Others play based on skill, but you rely solely on self-proclamation; you're blazing a new trail!"
…
Han Sen had long since built immunity to these comments and even liked the one about "blazing a new trail."
In fact, aside from harvesting negative follower counts, he was also boosting his own market value.
Now, the teams he was trying out for kept the contents of the tryouts confidential, but the incident with Jordan got attention because news can sell, so the truth can't be hidden. However, no one knows about his defense against Curry so far.
So he needed to let other teams he hadn't tried out with know that the current draft reports were inaccurate; he could play defense.
As for the truthfulness of the information, if teams are interested, they would naturally find ways to dig for information from the teams he had already tried out with.
Moreover, the upcoming tryout with the Thunder was a great opportunity.
The Thunder has been a draft powerhouse in recent years; they selected Durant and Jeff Green in 2007, and in 2008, they picked Westbrook and Ibaka. This year, they hold the 3rd, 25th, and 54th picks.
He didn't know who they would choose with the 25th and 54th picks, but he clearly remembered who the 2009 draft's third overall pick was.
Unless something unexpected happened, he would be participating in the tryout with James Harden.
If he could defend against Harden in the tryouts, the Thunder might very well consider him for the 25th pick.
…
On this day, Han Sen went to Oklahoma accompanied by Thomas.
Thomas took this tryout seriously since it was the team he strongly recommended Hansen to.
Although the Thunder had been near the bottom of the Western Conference in recent years, they had accumulated enough potential, and it was only a matter of time before they achieved results.
Moreover, and more importantly, the Thunder desperately needed a 3-and-D wing player.
Last season, they traded for "Swiss Army Knife" Thabo Sefolosha from the Bulls to serve as the starting shooting guard.
While Sefolosha did bring perimeter defense to the Thunder, his three-point shooting was abysmal, with a shooting percentage below 25%. Combined with Westbrook's struggles from beyond the arc, the Thunder's offensive spacing was dreadful.
Upon arriving at the tryout venue, Han Sen did not see Harden, which was unexpected.
However, he did see Kevin Durant!
The Thunder didn't make the playoffs last season, so Durant should have been enjoying his vacation long ago; how could he be at the tryout venue?
This confusion was quickly resolved afterward.
Thunder General Manager Presti announced that Durant would be the one-on-one opponent for the rookies during the tryouts!
When this news was announced, the rookies were all dumbfounded.
Even though Durant had just completed his second year, he was already an elite scorer in the league, averaging 25.3 points last season on 47.6% shooting and 42.1% from three, making him the Thunder's core.
Han Sen also felt the pressure.
Winning against Curry in one-on-one could prove something, but it wasn't much, as Curry was not particularly known for his isolation game.
However, at that time, he hadn't used his full defensive power, so he was confident in defending against Harden, who had stronger isolation skills.
But Durant? Durant was a whole level above Harden, a complete dimensional shift for the rookies.
Yet he also sensed an opportunity.
It wouldn't make sense to bring in Durant just for a second-round pick; this was most likely preparation for the 25th pick.
Thomas' intel was accurate; the Thunder indeed needed a 3-and-D player.
If he could perform well in this segment, wouldn't he be the best candidate?
The one-on-one tryout soon began, and he was scheduled to go last.
There was no helping it; even though his draft stock was rising, most of the participants in this tryout had first-round prospects.
Then, Hansen watched as Durant transformed into a teacher, taking each rookie to school one by one.
His isolation ability was just too overpowered.
Standing 2.11 meters (about 6 feet 11 inches) in shoes, he could easily play as a power forward, but Durant played as a shooting guard and was a shooting specialist.
Hansen had seen Durant on video before, even at his peak, but the difference between video and reality was staggering.
Durant's shot not only had a high release point, but it was also incredibly quick.
He truly understood the saying, "A change of direction is respect for you; what can you do about a pull-up?"
It was spot on.
Finally, it was his turn.
As he stepped onto the court, the previously somewhat bored Durant suddenly perked up.
He squinted at Hansen: "You're the Best Defensive Player of the 2009 Class?"
Hansen paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered something.
Durant was also a big user of the internet!