With the end of draft night, all preparations were complete. Jake was now waiting for the opening of free agency. Then...
"Jake! I know you still want to land a superstar, but I'm offering you something sincere here," Wizards General Manager Ernie Grunfeld chuckled on the other end of the video call.
Compared to the light atmosphere in the Wizards' camp, the Kings' meeting room felt heavy. As the core of the team, DeMarcus Cousins' wishes had to be respected—an unwritten rule in the league. If a team's management wanted to trade their cornerstone player, and that player had no desire to leave or there wasn't any irreconcilable conflict, they usually tried to send the player to a destination he preferred. In Cousins' case, the two teams on his list were the Wizards and the Pelicans, thanks to his friendships with John Wall and Anthony Davis, respectively.
Jake, however, quickly dismissed the idea of sending Cousins to the Pelicans. In the original timeline, Cousins had joined New Orleans to form a twin-tower duo with Davis, yet they failed to even make the playoffs. Now, in 2015, Jake wasn't willing to gamble on recreating that dynamic in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. So, the Wizards emerged as the best option. They had finished the previous season with a 46-36 record, and their owner was eager to push further.
It seemed like a win-win situation for both sides, but Jake wasn't satisfied. "Two first-round picks are too few!" he finally said. "You won't trade Wall or Beal, and I'm not interested in a bunch of scraps. You have to add more draft assets! Otherwise, I'll just keep Cousins. This team is already capable of winning as it is, and I can afford to wait another year. When Cousins makes the All-Star team again next season, his price will only go up."
Jake locked eyes with Grunfeld through the screen. "Next year, the price won't be the same."
"No, no, no!" Grunfeld waved his hands quickly, realizing Jake was serious about pulling the plug. "We really want Cousins. We're willing to negotiate."
Grunfeld sighed. "I'd love to offer you more draft picks, but we don't have many left! The earliest one we can give you is from 2018."
The Wizards were in a tough spot. After trading assets over the past few seasons, they had little to offer until 2018.
"We can offer you a pick swap right for 2019," Grunfeld proposed, tapping the table. "Look, this is the best deal you'll get, Jake. You know as well as I do—teams aren't lining up to pay top dollar for a star trade. And if you split the assets, no one will offer more than I am."
"I get it. Let's table this for now, and I'll discuss it with my team," Jake said, ending the call.
After the screen went black, Jake rubbed his eyes in frustration. "What can we do now?"
Jake had originally hoped to trade Cousins for someone like Jimmy Butler or Paul George. Over the last season, Jake had built up a treasure trove of assets, and he thought he could acquire an All-Star forward with a few first-round picks. But after trying to pry them from their respective teams, the Bulls and Pacers made it clear they weren't selling. Now, the only option left was to go forward with the Wizards' deal.
"It's a huge loss if we only get the 2018 first-round pick and a 2020 pick," Divac spoke up. "At least give us the 2019 pick swap right!"
"Plus, those players they're offering—some are too old, and some are too risky," Coach Malone added. "Paul Pierce? Why do we need him? He's just counting down to retirement. We've got leadership in our locker room already."
Jake listened as the room filled with complaints and suggestions. "Take Pierce off the table," he said decisively. "We don't need him."
"And make sure they include Kelly Oubre," Divac chimed in. "The guy's got good looks! He'll be great for marketing!"
"Alright, let's do it," Jake agreed. "Ajiali?"
"Huh?" Ajiali, overwhelmed by the buzz of the meeting, snapped to attention when Jake called her name.
"Summarize everything for me and let me know when you're done," Jake said, announcing the end of the meeting as he left the room.
"No! Wait! One at a time!" Ajiali cried as the group of men swarmed her with questions and comments, causing her computer to freeze.
Two days later, the league was rocked by breaking news. The Wizards had sent 2013 third-overall pick Otto Porter, 2015 No. 15 pick Kelly Oubre, a 2018 first-round pick, a 2018 second-round pick, a 2020 first-round pick, and 2019 pick swap rights to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins!
The trade sent shockwaves through the Eastern Conference.
"The Wizards are coming for us," Cavaliers GM David Griffin remarked, sipping his coffee in the Cleveland conference room. "They've mortgaged their future for Cousins, and now they've got a Big Three with Wall, Beal, and Cousins."
Griffin shook his head, realizing the new challenge this presented. "Jake really put us in a tight spot with this one."
In Cleveland, management discussions always included LeBron James. Unlike other teams, the Cavs consulted their star player on key moves.
"They didn't just overdraw their picks," LeBron said, his hands moving across the large table. "They gave up nearly all of their young players. They're determined to fight us over the next two years."
James leaned forward, a calm yet determined expression on his face. "But it's fine. They can try all they want. In the East, there's only room for one champion."