[外絮] Woj: 對湖人王朝的恐懼驅使了快艇的交易

Sources: Fear of Lakers dynasty drove Clips' deal 對湖人王朝的恐懼驅使了快艇的交易 https://reurl.cc/2R94X by Adrian Wojnarowski As fears mounted the Los Angeles Lakers had pushed to the cusp of creating an unprecedented Big Three, the LA Clippers made a blockbuster trade for Oklahoma City's Paul George -- and cleared the path for free agent Kawhi Leonard to sign a four-year, $141 million contract with the Clippers, league sources told ESPN. 在湖人隊創造出三巨頭的空間之後，快艇的恐懼逐漸攀升，因此驅使了他們做出了與雷霆 的重磅交易而拿到了Paul George，並且清出了讓自由球員Kawhi Leonard以四年141M的頂 薪價碼加盟快艇的道路。 The Clippers became the last line of defense for balance of power in the NBA -- never mind the fledgling franchise's own future. The Clippers had come to believe that without a deal for George, Leonard was prepared to sign with the Lakers and create a Staples Center partnership of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Leonard, sources said. 快艇成為了捍衛NBA平衡的最後一道防線 -- 而且不介意犧牲自己球團的未來；快艇相信 如果沒有促成PG的交易案，可愛是真的準備與湖人簽約並且在Staples Center與LBJ、AD 攜手合作。 Leonard leaving for the Lakers would've delivered the NBA into a race for runner-up, and perhaps thrust the Clippers back into the franchise's dark ages. Now, the Clippers are in Western Conference contention shoulder-to-shoulder with the Lakers -- as well as the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz. 如果可愛真的加盟湖人，將會讓聯盟的其他球隊只能準備搶亞軍，甚至可能會讓快艇再度 陷入黑暗時代。現在，快艇跟湖人一起成為了西區的有力競爭者 -- 除此之外還有金塊、 火箭、拓荒者與爵士。 George and Leonard wanted to play together, and George and his agent, CAA's Aaron Mintz approached OKC GM Sam Presti in recent days and requested a trade, league sources said. Leonard's message to owner Steve Ballmer and President Lawrence Frank was essentially this: Get George, and you'll get me. PG和可愛想要一起打球，PG與他的經紀人，CAA的Aaron Mintz，在幾天前去找了雷霆總管 Sam Presti並要求交易。可愛傳遞給Steve Ballmer與Lawrence Frank的訊息就是： 「拿到PG，你就可以拿到我。」 Before free agency started, the Clippers knew they needed a second star to lure Leonard -- and had no idea whom he wanted. The Clippers inquired on deals for Washington's Bradley Beal and New Orleans' Jrue Holiday, but those guards weren't available in trades. Eventually, Leonard made his intentions known to the Clippers: Paul George. 在FA開始以前，快艇知道他們需要拿到另外一位球星才能招募可愛 -- 而且他們還不知道 他到底想要誰。快艇詢價過巫師的Bradley Beal以及鵜鶘的Jrue Holiday，但這些後衛並 不開放交易。最後，可愛告訴快艇他想要的就是PG。 To Leonard, the cost was immaterial. Leonard wanted to walk into a championship contender, and he believed George represented the co-star that he needed to combat James and Davis, sources said. Leonard wanted to play for coach Doc Rivers, a coach with whom he could feel a kinship that existed with Toronto President Masai Ujiri, sources said. 對可愛來說，那(取得PG的)代價是無關緊要的。可愛想要加入一支爭冠球隊，而他相信PG 就是那個能跟他聯手與LBJ+AD對抗的球星。可愛也想為Doc Rivers打球，一個他能感受到 與暴龍總管Masai Ujiri一樣親近感的教練。 In a wild night of negotiations, Presti leveraged the Clippers and Raptors off each other, preying on the uncertainties of what the other might be willing to give OKC for the chance to secure Leonard and George -- and perhaps the inside track on a championship. 經過一個晚上瘋狂的談判過後，Presti撬到了快艇與暴龍的底線，弄清楚他們可以付出 怎樣的代價來弄到PG和可愛 -- 以及那條或許通往總冠軍的捷徑。 Clippers leadership -- Ballmer, Frank and GM Michael Winger -- harbored fears that Presti was close to striking a deal with Toronto that would've delivered George to Leonard and the NBA champions, sources said. 快艇的管理階層，Ballmer、Frank以及GM Michael Winger害怕雷霆總管與暴龍達成協議 而讓暴龍弄到PG、KL以及總冠軍。 Had Presti been able to strike a deal for George with the Raptors -- and Leonard was willing to stay -- George was believed to be willing to join the Raptors too, sources said. Presti pursued a package of Russell Westbrook with George to the Raptors -- with the NBA's Most Improved Player, forward Pascal Siakam as the centerpiece of a deal -- and Ujiri balked, league sources said. Ujiri had delivered Leonard everything that he wanted in a franchise: Leadership and trust, championship talent and a medical partnership that preserved and prepared his body. What Ujiri couldn't give Leonard was out of his control: Geography, weather, and a chance to return to his Southern California roots. 在Presti與暴龍敲定交易並送出PG讓暴龍留下可愛以前，PG也被認為有意願在暴龍打球。 Presti尋求的是把西河跟PG一起交易到暴龍並拿回以Siakam為主的包裹，這個方案被暴龍 總管Ujiri踩了煞車。Ujiri已經給了可愛所需要的一切：領導權、信任、爭冠能力以及能 照顧他的醫療團隊，而他給不了可愛的東西根本不在他們的掌控之中：地理位置、天氣以 及那個回到家鄉的機會。 In the end, the Clippers reservoir of draft picks and young players -- cultivated in the Blake Griffin trade, and built upon in the flipping of Tobias Harris to Philadelphia -- gave the Thunder a return that could Toronto couldn't match in trade talks, league sources said. 最後，快艇靠著選秀籤以及年輕球員 -- 一部分是從BG、Tobias交易案中所弄到的資產 -- 成功壓過了暴龍所能提供的報價。 Toronto's pressure was unmistakable: Allow George to get traded to the Clippers, and risk Leonard walking into Staples Center arm-and-arm with George to take on James and Davis on the Lakers. This was a high-stakes game playing out across the league on Friday night, with only the future balance of power hanging in the balance. 暴龍所面臨的壓力十分清楚明了：是否該讓PG被交易到快艇與可愛聯手在Staples Center 和LBJ與AD對抗，這是週五夜晚時所上演的高張力對決，未來的球隊實力平衡懸而未決的 不斷擺盪。 From the time that Leonard demanded his trade in San Antonio in 2018, the Clippers believed that they had to get him. Here was a top 5 player with Southern California roots whose personality maybe didn't fit with the bright lights and scrutiny that comes with life as a Laker. The Clippers withstood several significant obstacles on the way to a free agent commitment, including a championship with the Raptors and the Lakers landing Davis in a trade. 從2018的可愛交易案發生時，快艇就一直相信著他們有機會拿到他；這是一個出身自 南加州的聯盟前五球星，而且他的人格特質不喜歡湖人所帶來的鎂光燈與放大鏡檢視。 結果快艇遇上了暴龍的成功奪冠以及湖人成功招募AD所造成的重重阻礙。 When it was time to make a decision on sacrificing the franchise's long-term future with a historical haul of draft picks, Ballmer felt he had no choice: This was LA, the modern NBA, and stars dictate and drive everything. Leonard wanted George, and the Clippers paid an unprecedented price in assets. Now, Staples Center is the NBA's epicenter, and the Clippers walk Leonard and George into downtown L.A. to stand shoulder to shoulder with James and Davis. The wildest story on the wildest night of free agency. 面臨了該決定是否要犧牲球團的長期未來時，Ballmer覺得他別無選擇：因為這裡是LA， 這裡是NBA，球星主宰著一切。可愛想要PG，於是快艇付出了史無前例的代價去得到他。 現在Staples Center就是NBA的中心，快艇將帶著可愛與PG，和LBJ與AD相以抗衡。 這就是自由市場最瘋狂的夜晚中所發生的最瘋狂的故事。 -- 快艇怕讓湖人湊到三巨頭的話，快艇又要當配角不知道幾年，這才是驅使他最後梭哈下去 賭一把的最大動力。而且沒想到在談PG交易案的還有暴龍，雷霆還想把西河一起送走，這 些沒發生的交易甚至更加瘋狂，這真的是最浮誇的夏天了。 然後我翻完這篇為什麼只有72P？WTF -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 140.112.218.71 (臺灣) ※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/NBA/M.1562420801.A.C72.html