June 28, 2000, Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Inside the Target Center, the lights shone brightly as the annual NBA Draft was about to begin. Young rookies in suits sat nervously around round tables, awaiting the results. Fans in the stands held up banners for their respective teams, while in the private boxes on the second floor, the management teams of all 29 teams in the league were glued to their phones and whiteboards, engaging in their final strategic maneuvers.
However, just hours before the draft officially began, a trade proposal that had just been entered into the league system caused an uproar within the arena.
In the ESPN broadcast booth, several veteran commentators didn't even bother to discuss the upcoming number one draft pick; the focus of the broadcast and the commentators' exclamations were almost entirely on the Boston Celtics.
"This is absolutely unexpected! According to news from the league office, Boston traded all four first-round picks—the 11th, 12th, 21st, and 28th—along with center Sean Bradley, to Detroit just hours ago!"
"Joe Dumars agreed to this trade, which was completed just before the end of the old fiscal year. Grant Hill, a four-time All-Star and a top forward averaging 25.8 points per game, was acquired by Boston before he even had a chance to test the free agent market!"
The entire league was taken aback by Lin Qi's extravagant spending.
Some were envious that Boston managed to snatch a player from the Orlando Magic Team right under their noses, taking advantage of the time difference in the fiscal year rules. But many more thought Lin Qi was a complete gambler... to go all in with four first-round picks for a player he could pursue directly in free agency in a few days, a huge waste of draft picks.
Although Hill suffered an ankle fracture during the playoffs two months earlier, at this point in 2000, team doctors and experts generally believed it was just a routine injury that would heal after a summer of rest. In the eyes of the outside world, Lin Qi paid a high price for a superstar who was about to make a full recovery.
However, only Lin Qi, inside the Boston war room, knew the extent of the medical crisis lurking behind this optimistic medical report. If things had followed the original trajectory, the ankle that was thought to only require rest would have suffered repeated fractures in the following years, and even nearly jeopardized his career.
Regardless of external opinions, Lin Qi appeared unusually calm at this moment. Since he dared to take down Hill ahead of schedule, he had already prepared medical contingency plans in Boston to deal with potential injuries.
Inside the Celtics' tactical room, the scouts who had been poised to make a big splash with six first-round picks were now somewhat silent. That last-minute trade had drained most of their draft assets, leaving Boston with only the 15th pick (from the Sacramento Kings ) and the 29th pick (their own pick).
"Lin, everyone outside is talking about that trade right now. The Orlando media isn't saying very good things about us." The team's chief scout wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Lin Qi was sitting in front of the screen.
"Let them be. Tomorrow, Doc Rivers will find that the salary cap space he painstakingly cleared can only be used to chase suboptimal solutions in free agency at a premium." Lin Qi picked up his water glass, his gaze falling on David Stern walking onto the stage on the broadcast screen. "Now, let's get back to the point; our draft isn't over yet tonight."
As league commissioner David Stern's signature voice rang out, the 2000 NBA Draft officially began.
As scouts had previously agreed, this year's draft class was widely considered a "weak draft year."
The New Jersey Nets unsurprisingly selected Kenyon Martin with the first overall pick, followed by Stromile Swift, Darius Myers, Marcus Fizer, and others. In Lin Qi's memory, apart from Martin, who could be considered a decent piece of the championship puzzle, there were too many names in this high draft class that quickly fell by the wayside due to injuries or skill deficiencies.
Watching other teams tread carefully in the lottery, Lin Qi secretly rejoiced that he had secured Grant Hill early with those picks.
As time went by, the draft order quickly reached the middle of the first round.
"Bite..."
With the 14th pick selected, the countdown clock in the Boston operations room began to tick, and they had five minutes to decide on the 15th pick.
The lead scout handed over a shortlist. "Lin, for this position, Michigan State University guard Martin Reeves is a relatively safe option. Or Jason Collier, a seven-foot center who can bolster the interior depth."
Lin Qi glanced at the list and pushed it aside. Selecting a veteran NCAA senior with limited potential at this draft position did not align with his long-term team-building plan.
"Bring me a pen," Lin Qi instructed briefly, then wrote down a name that was somewhat unfamiliar to the United States basketball scene at the time on the draft confirmation form.
" Hedo Türkoğlu?" The chief scout frowned slightly. "That Turkey? His tapes do have some highlights, but currently, apart from Dirk Nowitzki, no Europe player has truly adapted to the intensity of the NBA. Isn't it too risky to use a mid-first-round pick to select a Europe perimeter player?"
"This isn't a risk; it's in line with the trend of tactical development." Lin Qi handed the confirmation form to a staff member, indicating that it should be faxed to the league office.
In 2000, the league was still dominated by traditional interior battles and shooting guard isolation plays; the concepts of "spread" and "point forward" were still extremely vague. But in Lin Qi's tactical vision, the 2.08-meter-tall Türkoğlu was a highly forward-thinking tactical piece. He possessed delicate ball-handling skills rarely seen in big men, excellent court vision, and a decent outside shooting ability. Placing him on the wing would make him a crucial pivot for the team in creating offensive spacing.
A few minutes later, David Stern walked back to center stage and announced clearly, "2000 NBA Draft, first round, 15th pick, the Boston Celtics select— Hedo Türkoğlu from Turkey!"
A slightly puzzled applause rang out in the arena. Many reporters looked down at the rookie roster. After stumbling over the pronunciation of Türkoğlu, the ESPN commentator smoothed things over, saying, "It seems Boston has set its sights overseas this year, which is considered a relatively weak draft class. Let's wait and see if this tall Europe wing can adapt to the physicality of the NBA."
The tournament continued, and the atmosphere gradually became somber as the Late Night deepened. Many teams viewed late-first-round picks as worthless, as they were unlikely to yield quality players and would also require them to accept a guaranteed first-round contract.
Finally, David Stern picked up the last envelope of the first round.
In the operations room in Boston, there had been a brief discussion prior to this.
"Lin, this is the last pick in the first round. I strongly suggest we choose a Europe 'free-range' player, like Marko Jaric. Let him stay in Europe for two or three years. This way, we retain the signing rights without immediately paying the guaranteed first-round salary, avoiding wasting salary cap space." The chief scout gave what seemed to be the most reasonable advice at the time.
"No," Lin Qi shook his head, writing another name on the paper, "We'll pick him, and give him a guaranteed first-round contract right away. Submit it."
When the scout saw the name, his expression was somewhat taken aback. " Michael Redd? That guard from Ohio State? Lin, all the reports say he's slow to move laterally, and his shooting form is like a catapult. He's projected to be in the late second round. We could easily sign him with a second-round pick or even a non-guaranteed contract. Why would we use up the salary cap space of a first-round pick?"
The scout's statement was entirely reasonable given the scouting system at the time. Logically, Redd should indeed have been selected late in the second round.
"Listen," Lin Qi said calmly but firmly, " Redd's report may be full of flaws, but he has a quality that most people in the league don't have... the ability to maintain a consistent shot under pressure. His shooting mechanism is unique, but his release is extremely fast."
Lin Qi didn't explain much in the operations room. He leaned back in his chair and went over the underlying logic of the operation in his mind.
Under the current collective bargaining agreement, second-round picks can only sign short-term contracts of up to two years. Given Redd's future growth trajectory, his value will undoubtedly skyrocket in two years. At that time, if other teams offer him overpriced contracts in free agency, Boston will be in an extremely passive position: matching the offer will disrupt their salary structure, while not matching it would mean losing a core perimeter player they have developed for free.
The contract structure for first-round picks is completely different. Rookie contracts are four years long, plus the full Larry Bird Exception and the matching rights of restricted free agents. This means that, if the Celtics want, they can use this guaranteed contract at the end of the first round to lock in this future top shooter's entire development period on the team at an extremely reasonable price.
By securing a late first-round draft position to mitigate renewal risk and acquiring Redd's most cost-effective four-year contract, this represents the best long-term investment made by leveraging regulatory advantages.
The scene cuts back to the audition. David Stern opens the envelope.
"In the 2000 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics selected Michael Redd, from Ohio State University, with the 29th overall pick in the first round!"
A small commotion ensued, with columnists exchanging bewildered glances. ESPN's draft expert, Dick Vitale, bluntly stated into the microphone, "I don't quite understand Boston's move. They could have easily signed Redd with the 45th pick, but instead, they opted to use a valuable first-round guaranteed contract to select a left-handed guard who was only worth a second-round pick? This is probably the most perplexing decision of the night."
Listening to the commentary on TV, Lin Qi calmly turned off the screen.
With that, the first round of the draft has officially come to a close. For the Celtics, tonight's work has achieved its expected goals.
The draft wasn't even completely over yet, Boston's war room had already clocked out early.
Their remaining second-round draft pick was also conveniently exchanged by Lin Qi for a cash compensation to bolster the team's roster.