Chapter 749: Chapter 5 Goodbye_3
Jordan longed to work with his former North Carolina teammate, but the Bulls didn’t have enough cap space.
Ultimately, Sam Perkins was snagged by the Los Angeles Lakers with a first-year salary reaching $1.97 million, a figure the Bulls simply couldn’t afford.
Moreover, Perkins, being strong on offense but weak on defense and somewhat lackadaisical in style, overlapped with Horace Grant’s position and wasn’t a good reinforcement choice. The Lakers indeed suited him better.
Jerry Krause then thought again and had Bulls’ power forward Buck Williams in mind.
During the 1989 offseason, there were rumors that the Nets were looking to trade away Buck Williams, and at that time, Jordan wished that Jerry Krause would find a way to get Williams, even at the expense of Horace Grant.
In the end, because Jerry Krause valued Grant’s potential more, and he was unwilling to give up a first-round draft pick, the deal fell through.
And Williams wasn’t traded away; the Nets didn’t receive a satisfying offer on the market, so Buck played another year in New Jersey.
However, Williams was determined to leave; at 30 years old, he wanted to join a team with championship aspirations rather than spending his dwindling professional career at the Nets.
When the Trail Blazers acquired Reggie Lewis, Jerry Krause couldn’t help but think about strengthening their frontcourt and interior play, or else who would stop Ah Gan?
After organizing his thoughts and clearing his mind a bit, Jerry Krause called his boss, Reinsdorf, again, saying, "Boss, I have an idea for a trade; we need Buck Williams."
"Alright, tell me your plan, I’ll support you all the way."
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The Trail Blazers’ trade shook the league, enticing aspiring championship teams into action like catalysts.
The formidable Portland Trail Blazers might become even more balanced and stronger next season.
Trail Blazers fans were elated, and Oregon media believed Jerry West to be the greatest professional manager.
But within the Trail Blazers organization, a sense of sadness permeated due to the trade.
Gan Guoyang had not expected that not only Divac but also Jeff Hornacek would be leaving.
Hornacek had been with Portland since 1986 and had won three championships following Gan Guoyang.
He worked here, planted roots, got married, had children. From an unremarkable second-round pick, he became one of the league’s outstanding shooting guards.
Low-key and tough, Hornacek’s shooting was superb, his skills comprehensive; paired with Porter in the backcourt, they were unstoppable on offense.
He and Porter could take turns handling the ball to organize offense, alternating with Ah Gan and Sabonis for pick-and-roll plays, launching attacks in tandem with the interior, a defensive nightmare for other teams with strong scoring continuation and versatility.
With Hornacek’s departure, half of that dynamism was gone. The ordinary uncle who likes to touch his face during free throws, the team’s most reliable mid-range shooter besides Ah Gan, would no longer be a Trail Blazer next season.
Jerry West personally called Hornacek to inform him of the trade; Hornacek remained composed and calmly accepted the news, then bid farewell to his teammates over the phone.
Once a trade happens, for fans, it’s merely a player donning a different jersey, playing for a different team.
But for the players, it means a change of work environment, a shift to a different city life.
Especially for married players with children like Hornacek, moving is not a trivial matter.
Divac’s situation was much simpler; he had only been with Portland for a season, hadn’t bought property, was just preparing to have children, and could move to Boston with his wife.
But Divac felt equally melancholic; he understood why he had to leave. He and Petrović couldn’t both stay with the Trail Blazers—Petrović was chosen, Divac had to be sacrificed.
After the trade, Gan Guoyang invited Hornacek, Divac, and a few other teammates for a farewell meal. After this dinner, Hornacek and Divac would board the plane to Boston, where the Celtics’ new season training camp was about to begin.
But Petrović couldn’t come; he couldn’t face Divac.
Ah Gan blessed Hornacek and Divac, advising Hornacek not to forget to practice three-pointers and reminding Divac to play tough in Boston, lest he be looked down on by the fans there.
"If Larry talks trash to you during training, hit back hard! Just say, ’Sonny would never say that to me, what makes you think you can’!"
Divac nodded solemnly at Gan Guoyang’s words, but inwardly he shook his head, thinking, Big brother, do you really want me to get along well in my new team?
Finally, Gan Guoyang said: "I wish both of you a smooth sailing in Boston, cheers, the two Celtics~"
Divac and Hornacek both felt a sinking feeling, thinking that it would be a headache to face Ah Gan as opponents in the next season.
Thankfully, the Celtics and the Trail Blazers only had two games per season to play against each other; it would be more problematic if they were in the same division.
All the way to boarding the plane, Divac kept looking for Petrović, hoping to spot his friend among the crowds.
But Petrović never showed. As the plane ascended into the sky towards Boston, Petrović stood by his car near the airport, looking up at the diminishing plane, silently saying in his heart: "Goodbye, Vlade."
