The next morning, Yang Shuai arrived in Girona, Catalonia, Spain, where he met Pierre Durand, a French scout for the Lakers in Europe who had arrived ahead of time at his request to wait for him.
"Marc doesn't want to go to the NBA right now," Durand told Yang Shuai as they sat in a local café, going over the latest situation, even though he had already relayed this information before Yang Shuai arrived.
Such situations were hardly uncommon among international players. Under the NBA's unique draft rules, any player worldwide automatically became draft-eligible once they turned twenty-two. Consequently, teams sometimes drafted players without prior communication, leading to instances where selected players refused to report to the NBA.
The well-known scenario Yang Shuai remembered where Wang Zhelin was drafted in his sleep was a classic example.
However, this usually happened with second-round picks. After all, if a player refused to report, it meant squandering a draft pick or being forced to trade their draft rights. Teams were generally reluctant to risk a first-round pick on such an uncertainty.
"Is it that he doesn't want to go to the NBA, or he doesn't want to go to the Lakers?" Yang Shuai probed for more details. There was a fundamental difference between the two: the former meant a reluctance to move overseas, preferring more money, less hassle, and staying close to home; the latter meant he felt he wouldn't get much opportunity on the Lakers and was biding his time.
"I didn't get a definitive answer on that, but in my judgment, it's more likely the latter," Durand could only speculate, as he was unable to get in touch with Gasol at the moment either.
Yang Shuai nodded. That was his assessment as well. As a transmigrator, he knew that in original history, Gasol went to play for the Grizzlies the following year. While theoretically there was also the possibility that Gasol wasn't considered NBA-ready and needed to be stashed in Europe for another year, judging from the current circumstances, it was far more likely that Gasol simply didn't want to join the Lakers.
Of course, regardless of which possibility it was, he had to give it a shot.
"In that case, let's head straight to his club," Yang Shuai said, rising to his feet.
"Aren't you going to rest first?" Durand asked, thoroughly surprised. He had assumed Yang Shuai would sleep off his jet lag, have some afternoon tea, and only then head over.
"We don't have time to spare," Yang Shuai replied, already walking out the door.
An hour later, they arrived at the entrance of Girona Basketball Club's gym.
Girona Basketball Club competed in the Spanish second division and was the team Gasol was currently playing for.
Indeed, since the Summer League was not part of the official NBA season, participating players didn't necessarily have to be free agents—which was why the Chinese national team could participate, as well as players from international leagues.
If someone performed well enough, they could negotiate a buyout with their parent club before heading to the NBA.
Gasol didn't actually belong to this team, however; he was on loan from FC Barcelona, where he had played for three seasons before arriving here the previous season.
Their luck held. After some back-and-forth at the door, they finally managed to get in touch with Gasol's head coach.
Upon learning that they were right outside the club, Gasol eventually agreed to meet them in an office on the second floor.
The moment Yang Shuai laid eyes on Gasol, a smile spread across his face.
Not out of polite courtesy, but because he knew this trip was well worth it.
Yang Shuai never went into battle unprepared. Just as he had thoroughly familiarized himself with the backgrounds of Curry and Westbrook before seeking them out, he had naturally done the same for Gasol.
Gasol hadn't played in Europe his entire life.
Because of his older brother, Pau Gasol, he had moved to the United States at age sixteen and attended Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis.
During his two years at Lausanne, Gasol put up dominant numbers, averaging 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 blocks per game.
Yet after his high school career wrapped up, he drew little interest from NAA Division I programs, with only the University of Memphis offering him a walk-on spot without a scholarship.
Gasol had size, talent, and dominant stats, so by all logic he shouldn't have been overlooked like this. The root cause was that he was simply too fat.
It might sound absurd at first glance, but at 6'11", Gasol weighed an astonishing 320 pounds at the time. By comparison, Shaquille O'Neal in his prime weighed only 324 pounds—and Shaq stood 7'1".
Another point of comparison was Nikola Jokić, who had to spend an extra year playing abroad before entering the NBA because of weight issues, and his weight topped out at around 280 pounds.
So back then, the impression Gasol gave outsiders was: a bloated frame, a matchbox vertical, sluggish mobility, inching around the court like a giant caterpillar.
High school basketball in the United States varied wildly in talent. Most of the opposing centers were under two meters tall, so even dominant numbers carried little weight.
Looking at him now, however, while his exact weight remained unknown, Gasol was clearly a completely different person from his high school days.
In shoes, he looked to be around 2.16 meters tall, roughly matching the height Yang Shuai remembered. While he was still slightly heavier than the Gasol Yang Shuai recalled from his prime, he was well within an acceptable range.
Counting back, three years had passed since Gasol graduated from high school. It seemed that systematic training and dietary adjustments in Spain had allowed him to rein in his weight nicely.
This was undoubtedly the best news possible for Yang Shuai. With the Summer League just around the corner, he had no time to put Gasol on a weight-loss regimen.
Gasol, on the other hand, looked surprised when he saw Yang Shuai. Once they sat down, he couldn't help but say, "Mr. Hanson, you're much younger than I imagined."
Durand had told him that the Lakers' assistant general manager would be coming to see him. He had expected someone at least in his forties, not someone who looked even younger than himself.
"You, on the other hand, look pretty much like what I expected," Yang Shuai nodded with a smile before getting straight to business. "So, what do you say? Any interest in playing for the Lakers in the Summer League?"
At Yang Shuai's question, Gasol glanced at Durand and said, "That's not what Pierre said."
"What did he say?" Yang Shuai asked, curious.
"He asked if I wanted to join the Lakers."
Gasol's reply left Durand looking puzzled; he didn't see any fundamental difference between the two statements.
Yang Shuai, however, couldn't help but chuckle. "I take back what I said earlier. You're far more mature than I imagined."
Gasol was only twenty-two this year, the equivalent of a freshly graduated senior in the NAA, but entering the professional ranks so early had clearly made him far more mature than his peers.
There was indeed a distinction between the two. Signing a rookie contract with the Lakers naturally meant playing for them in the Summer League barring unforeseen circumstances, but conversely, playing for the team in the Summer League didn't necessarily mean signing a formal contract.
As noted earlier, the Summer League was not part of the official NBA season.
Gasol's answer, however, confirmed Yang Shuai's prior assessment: Gasol wasn't unwilling to play in the NBA, he just didn't want to play for the Lakers.
Yet as a rookie selected in the draft, he couldn't very well voice that sentiment directly to a Lakers overseas scout, since he had no say in picking his team.
"Same here," Gasol said with a smile. Although Yang Shuai was younger than expected, he was also far more mature than anticipated.
With that established, Yang Shuai cut straight to the chase and laid out his entire proposal.
He wanted Gasol to sign a Summer League contract with the Lakers and represent them in the Las Vegas Summer League; whether to sign a formal NBA contract could be decided later.
"You've played in Europe for three years. Don't you want to see where you stand against NBA competition?" Yang Shuai offered an enticing pitch. Gasol had failed to attract interest from NAA programs after high school, but now had the opportunity to step straight into the NBA world.
"The future isn't set in stone. Things can change dramatically in an NBA franchise from one day to the next." Naturally, Yang Shuai didn't forget to address Gasol's greatest concern.
Gasol fell silent. He clearly understood everything Yang Shuai said, but visible hesitation lingered.
After all, if he played poorly in the Summer League, then whenever he wanted to go to the NBA in the future, his rights would remain tied to the Lakers.
Seeing Gasol's reaction, Yang Shuai added, "To be honest, I don't think you're any worse than your brother. If I were the GM, I would've drafted you in the first round."
This statement made not only Gasol's eyes widen, but Durand's beside him as well.
Using the nineteenth overall pick on Gasol? That sounded like pure fantasy!
Yet the earnest conviction in Yang Shuai's eyes made them feel he genuinely would have done just that.
Indeed, while Yang Shuai might have exaggerated slightly, he definitely would have spent a first-round pick on Gasol; the only question was whether he would have traded down first.
A four-year rookie-scale bargain contract—even if Gasol didn't sign this season, his draft rights were an enormous asset for the team.
Gasol looked at Yang Shuai for a long time, seemingly making up his mind, and finally nodded. "All right. I can play for the Lakers in the Summer League, but we'll see about anything after that."
Yang Shuai stayed in Girona for three days. Once the visa matters were finalized, he flew right back to Los Angeles with Gasol without missing a beat.
Cole picked them up at the airport and briefed them on his progress.
Bowen, Karl, and Wafer had all accepted the Lakers' invitations. On top of that, he had signed Zendon Hamilton, a 6'11", thirty-two-year-old veteran who, like Bowen, had seven years of NBA experience.
Even though it was only the Summer League, the Lakers' spotlight remained an immense draw for most players.
After dropping Gasol off at his hotel, Cole and Yang Shuai talked about him.
"Do you really think he can help us?" Gasol's size had also pleasantly surprised Cole, but physical stature wasn't the sole determinant of on-court performance.
"No need to worry about that," Yang Shuai said. While waiting for the visa, he had watched Gasol practice. In his assessment, Gasol would need an adjustment period for regular NBA games, but for the Summer League, he would do just fine.
"What if he plays well but still refuses to sign with us?" Cole couldn't help asking with concern. If that happened, it would mean wasting a roster spot for nothing.
"As long as he plays well, there's always a solution," Yang Shuai said with a smile.
Of course, what he kept to himself was that even if Gasol didn't sign with the Lakers, it wouldn't matter.
The Lakers hadn't been able to trade for Pau Gasol on draft night, most likely because the Grizzlies felt the trade package wasn't rich enough. But Yang Shuai knew that in that very trade, the truly valuable centerpiece had been none other than his younger brother, Marc Gasol.
Chapter 42