The Ninth Pick
The draft was being broadcast live online in Korea.
Even though it was airing on a weekday morning in Korean time, the viewership numbers rivaled those of a "Korean Derby" in European football. In the chat box, a fierce debate was raging over whether Seojun would actually get drafted.
Soon, the broadcast began.
Perhaps because the viewers were overwhelmingly male, Su-ryeon, who was sitting next to him, immediately drew everyone's attention.
Moreover, since the broadcast feed was provided by the league office, Seojun's table wasn't shown very often. So, whenever it did appear on screen, people couldn't help but stare at Su-ryeon.
Snap!
A young woman watching the broadcast on her phone clenched her fist without realizing it. Her friend called out to her.
"Seoeun! The director said to take a video of the puppies being adopted so we can use it when we submit the documents later!"
"Yeah, just a second. Give me an hour!"
"...An hour isn't 'just a second'?"
"Then Hajin, can you do it for me? Please."
"U-Uh, okay. I'll take the video then."
And so, the draft began. Soon, a chaotic mix of official news and wild speculation flooded the chat.
However, a fact-check was quickly established.
The shocking revelation set the chat room ablaze.
Soon, Seoeun's friend ran over again.
"Seoeun! The director is asking if you've thought about what to have for lunch today."
"Hmm... how about stir-fried octopus?"
"Isn't that too spicy?"
"Then spicy pig trotters."
"No, that's even spicier..."
And then, it happened.
"With the ninth pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets select Seojun Lee from Mega Vizura!"
In an instant, the chat box froze under the sheer volume of messages.
Receiving congratulations, Seojun hugged those around him one by one.
And then, squeeze! Su-ryeon was also pulled into his embrace.
"...Hehe."
Seoeun smiled softly.
Seeing her, a male employee at the abandoned dog shelter stared blankly as if spellbound...
But if Seojun had seen that smile, he might have broken out in a cold sweat.
A shocking result: the 9th pick in the first round. And a trade between Charlotte and Atlanta.
This was the result of a fierce battle of wits between the franchises.
First, there were realistically six teams that wanted Seojun.
The first three: the Golden State Warriors, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Miami Heat.
The Warriors wanted him as a long-term replacement for Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala, as well as a bench piece. San Antonio wanted him as a shooting guard. Miami wanted him as a small forward prospect in preparation for LeBron James's departure.
However, these three teams didn't have good immediate picks or suitable trade assets, so they could only make a move if Seojun fell past the 20th pick in the first round.
Thus, the priority belonged to the other three teams: the Denver Nuggets, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Houston Rockets.
First, Denver viewed Seojun as a project prospect who could become the backbone of their team.
So, they made their final decision.
They would draft him with their best pick, the 11th pick in the first round.
Originally, they had planned to trade the 11th pick for two late first-round picks to draft both Jusuf Nurkić and Seojun, but they abandoned that plan and decided to draft Seojun first and figure out the rest later.
And Houston.
Houston wanted Seojun as an Asian marketing asset to succeed Yao Ming, and as a 3&D player to back up James Harden.
For Houston, it was a perfect acquisition that would boost both marketing and team strength.
They were targeting the 10th pick in the first round, held by the Philadelphia 76ers.
They planned to trade their own 25th pick in the first round plus additional assets to acquire Seojun.
In other words, the 9th, 10th, and 11th picks were all waiting in line to grab Seojun, so his selection at 9th wasn't a shocking anomaly after all.
Thus, Atlanta emerged victorious in the end.
What made this acquisition surprising was that the decision wasn't made by the general manager.
Atlanta's current GM, Danny Ferry, was suspended due to racist remarks made two weeks prior.
Since he could be fired depending on the disciplinary outcome, head coach Mike Budenholzer's influence played a major role in this draft.
'Yes!'
Seeing Seojun's acquisition finalized, Budenholzer rejoiced.
'Drafting him at 9th in the first round means he won't be considered a steal, but...'
Whatever the case, it was the desired outcome.
With this, the team's blueprint for the season was complete.
Currently, Atlanta had a solid starting lineup.
The only area that needed reinforcement was the small forward position.
DeMarre Carroll was highly inconsistent, had a limited role, and was prone to injuries, making him a liability.
'On the other hand, Seojun Lee is different.'
Budenholzer had been captivated by Game 4 against Partizan, where Seojun recorded a triple-double. That game sealed his decision.
'Seojun Lee can offer a much wider variety of offensive options than Carroll.'
Of course, whether that would translate to the NBA had to be proven on the court.
But even if it didn't, Seojun still had immense value as a bench player.
He could sub in for Carroll, or even Kyle Korver, whose defense was lacking. He was also a great option to give Paul Millsap some rest. Or he could be used in a small-ball lineup when Al Horford sat.
For Atlanta, he was the perfect piece for both the long term and the short term.
The 2014 Draft continued.
I had returned to my table for the time being.
'The Atlanta Hawks, huh.'
To be honest, I had wanted to go to Stephen Curry's Golden State, or LeBron's Miami.
Or perhaps San Antonio or Dallas, where European players played central roles.
But Atlanta wasn't bad either.
While they weren't the most popular franchise, the city itself was a big market...
And most of all, compared to almost ending up in Charlotte, Atlanta looked like an absolute blessing.
'Plus, my man Korver is there.'
That thought got me incredibly excited.
Kevin Garnett, Kyle Korver, Vince Carter.
The three players I had chosen as my role models.
I had a small goal of playing on the same team as those three, and now I was about to check one off the list.
As I was savoring this satisfaction...
"Seojun, what did you guys talk about over there?"
Subin's father asked, licking his dry lips. He looked like his mouth was parched, still unable to believe that I had been drafted 9th overall in the first round.
"I haven't talked to the Atlanta staff yet. We'll probably have a meeting after the draft is over."
"I see. Well, you'll have to discuss the contract too. You should find an agent quickly."
"Is there really a need? The rookie scale contract is already set anyway."
In my past life, I had only used agents as legal advisors to review league regulations, while handling the negotiations myself.
So right now, what I needed more than an agent was an accountant.
'Well, I can handle that when I get back to Korea.'
I looked up at the draft board on the screen.
What caught my eye was Denver's pick.
Having missed out on me, Denver drafted Doug McDermott with the 11th pick instead, then traded him to the Chicago Bulls for the 16th and 19th picks in the first round.
With the 16th pick, they selected Jusuf Nurkić. And with the 19th pick, they drafted Jokic.
'I thought they were going to pick Jokic in the second round. Did they panic because they missed out on me?'
I suddenly wondered what pick Jokic had been drafted at in my previous life.
'He's the future European GOAT, so surely he was drafted in the first round back then too?'
Anyway, Jokic was drafted 19th, but since he didn't attend the event, there was no interview.
He was probably fast asleep in Serbia right now.
Aside from him, Dario Šarić went 12th, Bogdan Bogdanović went 26th, and Micic was drafted 41st overall in the second round by Denver.
'This means Micic will probably keep playing in Europe for now.'
My other teammate, Nemanja Dangubić, was drafted 50th overall in the second round by Phoenix, so he would likely stay in Europe as well.
'Still, five players who played in the same league as me were drafted in the first round.'
It made me realize that the level of the Adriatic League I played in was actually incredibly high.
After the draft concluded, I had a meeting with the Atlanta front office.
I expected to speak with the general manager, but... for some reason, the head coach was sitting there instead.
A middle-aged white man.
"Nice to meet you, Lee. I'm Mike Budenholzer."
"Ah, yes! Hello, Coach. I'm Seojun Lee. How should I address you?"
Boss? Coach? Head coach?
Budenholzer grinned.
"Just call me Mike. Or Mikey, if you prefer."
"I'll call you Mike, then. Please feel free to call me whatever you like as well."
"Alright. 'Lee' rolls off the tongue easily."
He seemed like a very pleasant man. He had the aura of a player's coach.
'But guys like him can be terrifying when they actually get angry.'
As I was sizing him up, a front office staff member immediately brought up the topic of joining the team.
I naturally assumed we would be discussing the Summer League, which was starting in a few days, but that wasn't the case.
"Lee, you won't be participating in the Summer League."
"...Excuse me?"
Wasn't the Summer League a rite of passage for all rookies?
The staff member smiled, understanding my reaction.
"Normally, yes. But you just finished a full regular season, didn't you? And you were playing games until late June."
"That's... true."
"More than anything, your next season starts earlier than ours."
With that, the staff member unexpectedly brought up the Asian Games.
Indeed, since the Asian Games started in mid-September, my season would essentially begin about two weeks earlier. If I played in the Summer League on top of that, my off-season rest would be severely cut short.
'They've actually thought about me that deeply?'
I had fully expected to have a tug-of-war with the franchise over participating in the Asian Games, but Atlanta actually wanted me to go.
Coach Budenholzer gave me a candid explanation for why.
"From the front office's perspective, they have to consider future scenarios, like a sign-and-trade. If you have military service issues hanging over your head, your trade value plummets. It's purely a business decision, so don't feel burdened. Just go resolve your military service with a light heart."
"...! Thank you!"
However, because of the risk of injury, they didn't want me playing every single game of the Asian Games. The staff member began to lay out the specifics.
They suggested that I fake a minor injury and only play from the quarterfinals onward.
The fact that they were going this far meant they viewed me as an immediate contributor from the very start of the regular season.
'They really think highly of me. Well, I guess that's why they drafted me 9th overall.'
Fueled by their expectations, I felt a surge of motivation.
My new home, the Atlanta Hawks.
The first impression was absolutely flawless.