Volume 5: Unrivaled

At Golden State, however, he had neither statistics nor any standout skills. Relying solely on his athleticism and a brief stretch of brilliance in the Finals, he could only land a contract this large. The reason was simple: the Warriors had just won their third straight championship and established an undisputed dynasty. They were the NBA's most legendary team, and the league wanted Huaxia fans to experience the splendor of a dynasty team—though they had already experienced it last year. This time, the Warriors would train in the Bay Area for half a month before departing for China on October 3 to play two games against the Timberwolves. The arrival of so many newcomers made the first day of training camp rather subdued. The teams willing to carry Klay for a year without getting much in return offered insulting packages, all hoping to take advantage of the situation, and the Warriors rejected them all. But teams that wanted to contend had to make use of every precious roster spot and every dollar of cap space. They did not want to carry Klay for a year, so they had not made offers to the Warriors. As of now, trade talks involving Klay remained stalled. But aside from Curry, everyone else secretly applauded Zhang Yu's decision and even wished Klay would leave sooner. His talent was better, and his ceiling was far higher than Bogdan's. He was the ideal replacement for Klay. Green, Leonard, Dinwiddie, and Olynyk had left, while Klay was injured. All five key contributors to last season's championship were gone. The newly arrived Jaylen Brown, Markkanen, Aminu, Jerebko, Connaughton, and Boucher were either rookies or reserves. These newcomers were not Warriors fans. They did not care how much Klay had contributed to the team; they only cared about ability.