The Kings' Major Overhaul

The Kings' Major Overhaul

The night after their game against South Korea, China crushed Lithuania 127–85.

They finished the group stage with five straight wins, advancing to the quarterfinals as the top team in their group.

The news delighted the people back home.

The result matched China's best-ever performance in an international tournament.

But that wasn't enough to satisfy them.

With Wang Yi on the team, reaching the quarterfinals had been a sure thing.

Everyone was happy, but no one was overly excited.

The next game, however, was crucial.

According to FIBA rules, the tournament would now move into the knockout stage.

The eight teams would play four elimination games.

The winners would advance to the semifinals.

But that wasn't the most important part. According to FIBA rules, the Basketball World Cup standings were tied to next year's Olympic berths.

The top seven teams in this Basketball World Cup would qualify directly for next year's Olympics.

In other words, if China won this game and advanced to the semifinals, they wouldn't have to play in the Olympic qualifiers. China Team would go straight to next year's Olympic Games in Paris.

The eight teams in the quarterfinals would play their knockout games in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

So after their game against Lithuania, Wang Yi and the others boarded a bus to the airport, ready to fly to the Philippines.

On the bus, Kings general manager Divac called.

"Wang, we've completed a few trades."

Wang Yi fell silent.

The day had finally come.

Ever since the season ended, there'd been rumors of trades.

People said the Kings were going after one star, then another.

The words "shocking" and "breaking news" were flying everywhere. It was the usual NBA summer circus.

Wang Yi didn't care about any of it.

He