Volume 4: Golden State's Golden Age
Under Embiid's leadership, the 76ers finished second from the bottom in the East, five games ahead of the last-place Nets. Fortunately, Isaiah Thomas soon returned from injury and played in the first three games against the Cavaliers. Embiid, representing the 76ers at the lottery, sat to one side and shot Magic Johnson a sidelong glance as he laughed heartily, his expression extremely unpleasant. After the trade deadline arrived, Riley began looking for a destination for Leonard. Following Zhang Yu's instructions, he first contacted Danny Ainge and Kerr. But he was still the Celtics' best player besides Durant, and Durant's best helper. "Too many people have been screwed over by Danny Ainge. I'm delivering justice on behalf of heaven! If he wants a superstar, he has to bleed. Tell him the 76ers are interested in Kawhi too. If he doesn't want the rival next door catching up, he shouldn't be so stingy!" On the court, Harden made both free throws, putting the Rockets ahead of the Warriors 104-96 by eight points as the game entered its final निर्णायक stretch. In the West, the Lakers and Suns both had worse records than the 76ers, so missing out on the first overall pick was highly likely. What truly upset Embiid was that the Lakers had somehow landed the second overall pick. If they wanted draft picks and young players, the Lakers were also an excellent option, no worse than the Celtics. The 76ers would surely welcome Leonard as well. Zhang Yu nodded slightly. "How could we? Don't give an inch. Ask for the moon—take as much as we can. Danny Ainge won't be swayed by emotion, so you don't need to spare his feelings. We have to squeeze the Celtics dry." The only pity was that the