Who Did They Trade For?

The news about where LeBron was headed remained unresolved, but the Rockets had already made a splashy, if not monumental, move. 

They pried Jeremy Lin away from the Knicks with a three-year, $25 million offer sheet. 

This contract, while not particularly huge, was unmatchable for the Knicks due to the 'Arenas Rule.'

The Arenas Rule stemmed from a loophole the Wizards exploited to sign Gilbert Arenas—a second-round pick who thrived with the Warriors—offering him a deal Golden State couldn't match.

The NBA introduced the rule to prevent this from happening again, limiting the first-year salary of contracts for second-round picks to the mid-level exception. 

However, the rule only applied to two years of the contract, allowing teams to offer a massive salary hike in the third year, creating a financial poison pill for teams attempting to match. 

For teams without much cap space, matching such an offer would mean risking hefty luxury tax penalties in the third year. This type of deal became popularly known as a 'poison pill contract."'

This exact situation had occurred with DeAndre Jordan and the Clippers the previous season.

Smart teams had since avoided signing rookies to short one- or two-year deals, as evidenced by the Warriors locking up Draymond Green on a three-year deal. 

But Jeremy Lin's breakout performance had been an unexpected phenomenon, forcing the Knicks to reluctantly let him go. 

Soon after Lin joined the Rockets, the Knicks made a splash of their own, announcing a trade with the Suns. 

They acquired Steve Nash in a sign-and-trade deal, sending out four second-round picks and some cash. Nash signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Suns before the trade. 

Having already stated he wouldn't stay in Phoenix, Nash had listed the Raptors and Knicks as his top destinations.

Lin's departure had set off a domino effect, ultimately steering Nash to the Knicks for one last championship push. 

...

Meanwhile, at a fishing spot by the Mississippi River, Han Sen met up with Antawn Jamison. 

With a cast still on his leg, Han had to greet Jamison seated, but the two embraced enthusiastically. 

Jamison was clearly thrilled. After years of racking up stats in Cleveland, the chance to finally compete for a championship felt like a long-awaited rejuvenation. 

"This was supposed to be for LeBron," Han joked, pointing to a nearby fishing rod. 

"Speaking of LeBron, I heard his team's eyeing New York," Jamison said with a chuckle, sitting down beside him. 

Rumors about LeBron's destination were flying, and Jamison's intel from the Eastern Conference was usually reliable. 

"That's no surprise," Han said, "but it's not happening." 

Han recalled that LeBron had once expressed interest in playing alongside Nash. With Nash now in New York, and the Knicks being a team LeBron admired, it made sense that he'd want to join them. 

However, with Nash, draft picks, and a potential lineup of Nash, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron, and Dwight Howard, there was no way Pat Riley would let that happen. 

In the matter of where LeBron would go, Riley's decision was paramount. 

The following days saw Han and Jamison fishing together, but unlike their time in Cleveland, Jamison kept coming up empty-handed. 

"It's definitely the fishing rod," Han teased, justifying Jamison's bad luck. 

On the fourth day, as Han was about to swap out Jamison's rod, he finally caught something—a massive eight-pound Asian carp. 

As Jamison posed for a photo with his catch, Han received a call from Isiah Thomas. 

"What did you just say?!" 

"Which KD?" 

After hanging up, Han was still in shock. 

"What happened?" Jamison asked, putting the fish into a livewell. 

"LeBron's trade is finalized." 

Jamison pulled out his phone, but there was no news yet. Thomas had likely gotten the scoop through his extensive network. 

"Where's he going?" 

"To the Thunder." 

"The Thunder? LeBron wants to go there?" Jamison was stunned. 

New York, the Clippers, the Spurs—hell, even the Rockets would make more sense. But the Thunder, a small-market team with a frugal owner? 

Still, the Thunder had assets: Harden, Ibaka, Westbrook, and Perkins. They had the pieces to satisfy the Heat, or even use them in a three-team deal if needed. 

"So, who did they trade for LeBron?" Jamison asked, his curiosity piqued. 

"KD." 

"Which KD?" 

The two looked at each other, realizing they had the same question. 

Of course, the Thunder only had one KD—Kevin Durant. 

The Thunder had traded Durant for LeBron! 

"WHAT THE F—!" Jamison burst out once the reality sank in. 

Just then, Jamison's phone buzzed with a notification. 

The trade was official: 

The Heat traded LeBron James, Mike Miller, and Josh McRoberts to the Thunder for Kevin Durant and Kendrick Perkins. 

Han mulled over the deal, piecing it together. 

This trade was sudden, which meant it was likely a spur-of-the-moment decision. 

In such cases, it usually came down to Riley making a quick call. 

In other words, the Thunder likely presented the offer, and Riley, without hesitation, jumped on it. 

Han imagined that LeBron and Durant were probably even more shocked than he and Jamison were. 

But the logic was clear. If Han were Riley, he'd have flown to Oklahoma City to seal the deal personally, just to ensure the Thunder didn't back out. 

Why would the Thunder want LeBron? Han thought back to his own experience with contract extensions. 

For small-market teams, championships are important, but money matters more. 

LeBron's commercial value far outweighed Durant's, and after their humiliating loss to the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder likely saw no clear path to a title. 

If they couldn't win it all, they might as well make more money. 

As Han visualized a Westbrook-LeBron pairing, he couldn't help but laugh. 

Both needed the ball. Both loved grabbing defensive rebounds. Both wanted to lead fast breaks. Both chased stats… 

Would they end up fighting on the court? 

And if Harden stayed, would they need to split the basketball into three? 

"Miami's going to be tough to beat," Jamison muttered after gathering his thoughts. 

Wade, Durant, Bosh, and Perkins—the Heat had bolstered their roster in a big way. 

Forget dynasties for a moment—just defending their title this season was about to get a whole lot harder. 

...

"What did you just say?!"

Durant had just wrapped up an intense training session and sat down to rest when his agent called.

His initial reaction? Total disbelief.

"I've been grinding day and night to settle my score with that Han Sen, and now the front office waves the white flag?"

But after calming down, a chuckle escaped him.

Last season's issues with ball distribution in the Thunder? No one understood it better than him.

He had good relationships with both Westbrook and Harden, but there was nothing he could say to fix it. Neither of them would willingly give up the ball, not even for him.

So Durant kept his head down, focused on improving himself. And now? This trade might just be the blessing he needed.

With Miami's stacked roster, his chances of finally toppling Han Sen had never been better.

"If I can't take him down in the West, I'll crush him in the Finals."

For Durant, this wasn't just about basketball—it was a battle for pride. He couldn't afford to lose.

Besides, as a Seattle native, he had always resented the Thunder's move to Oklahoma City. Being traded away? It freed him from ever having to suppress those feelings.

As for the Thunder? Durant smirked. "Next season, get ready to face the fire."

...

"What the f*ck was Pat Riley thinking?!"

Meanwhile, LeBron James wasn't just upset—he was fuming.

Oklahoma City? A farm town? Compared to Cleveland, it might as well be a barnyard. What was he supposed to do there, sell hay?

To James, this wasn't just a trade—it was an insult. Riley had thrown him under the bus, plain and simple.

But powerless to veto the trade, James felt the sting of frustration that came with being treated like a commodity.

"If I'd demanded a no-trade clause back then, I wouldn't be in this mess," his agent Rich Paul mused aloud.

LeBron's bloodshot eyes locked onto Paul. He picked up his phone, but it wasn't Riley he called—it was Leon Rose, his current agent.

"We're done."

After hanging up, LeBron turned back to Rich Paul. "Rich, you're my agent now."

Rich froze, stunned into silence. His offhand comment had just earned him the job of a lifetime.

Moments later, barely suppressing his joy, he almost wanted to drop to his knees and shout, 'Long live the King!'

"We just need to tough it out for two seasons. Then we can go back East," Rich reassured him, steadying his hands.

He knew LeBron better than anyone. The King didn't want to be in the West—it was a gauntlet of elite teams, a place where even legends faltered.

The East? That was LeBron's comfort zone. As long as his stats looked good, even if the team fell short, he wouldn't.

LeBron said nothing, but his silence was agreement enough.

If there was one lesson he took from this, it was that his next contract—wherever it might be—would absolutely include a no-trade clause.

"Or better yet," Paul added, "we could do one-plus-one deals. That way, we keep your Bird rights and total control."

LeBron gave him an approving pat on the shoulder. "You're the right man for the job."

...

When news broke of LeBron and Durant swapping teams, the entire NBA felt the tremors.

LeBron heading West? Miami turning into a superteam? The next season was shaping up to be must-watch TV.

But just as fans were wrapping their heads around it, a series of cascading trades sent shockwaves across the league.

First, Ray Allen.

Frustrated with the Celtics' lowball offer of two years for $12 million after they prioritized Garnett, Allen flipped the script.

Signing with Miami for a three-year deal at the mini mid-level exception, he made it clear: vengeance was sweet.

Suddenly, Miami looked like an unstoppable juggernaut.

Then came the real bombshell—James Harden was traded.

In a massive four-team deal involving the Rockets, Sixers, Thunder, and Nuggets:

-The Rockets landed Harden, Moe Harkless, Nikola Vucevic, and a 2013 second-round pick.

-The Sixers acquired Andrew Bynum and Al Harrington.

-The Thunder got Arron Afflalo, a 2014 first-rounder from Denver, and a protected 2015 first from Philly.

-The Nuggets snagged Andre Iguodala.

As if the West wasn't stacked enough, Iggy joined the party.

Meanwhile, over in the East, Dwight Howard finally got his wish—landing with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets gave up a haul centered around Brook Lopez and three future first-rounders, but in return, they formed an F4 superteam of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, and Dwight Howard.

The result? A Brooklyn squad that could go toe-to-toe with Miami for East supremacy.

In the West, though, it was a whole different story. The conference wasn't just a battlefield—it was a living hell.

Grizzlies, Lakers, Thunder, Spurs, Mavs, Nuggets, Clippers, Jazz, Rockets.

Survival of the fittest? Forget that. This was straight-up Darwinism.

-End of Chapter-