Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Although Yu Fei was a prize that had been scratched off, he was still not on the same level as a top prize like Yao Ming.

Moreover, even in terms of tapping into the Chinese market, Big Fei, the chosen son of China, can't compare to Yao Huang, the pure-blooded Chinese son with a hukou.

Jordan didn't like being rejected, so he went to the Houston Rockets with a second offer: Yu Fei plus Kwame Brown, how about that?

Rockets: Thank you, but no need to discuss further.

The Chicago Bulls, on the other hand, holding the second overall pick, were very interested in Yu Fei and were willing to trade their draft pick for him.

It was now Jordan's turn to show his true colors.

The Bulls' general manager was Jerry Krause.

If there's someone who could surpass Yu Fei in Jordan's "most hated mongrel" rankings, it would be this guy. Not to mention Jordan's disinterest in Jay Williams, the consensus number two draft pick—he disliked players from Duke and didn't have the patience to wait for Williams to develop—his grudge with Krause meant this deal was doomed from the start.

This was the second year in a row Jordan rejected Krause's trade proposal, which was a refreshing feeling for Jordan.

The Rockets' adamant stance on not trading the top draft pick made Jordan give up the idea of trading Yu Fei for a draft pick.

Now, it was time for the other teams to start making their offers.

Pat Riley was still the first to contact Jordan, but his offer was still the same old story.

Riley put forward the 2002 eleventh overall pick, plus three future first-round picks, making it clear there were no untouchables in the Miami Heat.

However, Jordan wasn't interested in future draft picks.

He wanted immediate impact players, someone who could help him next season, not a bunch of future draft picks he may never have the chance to use.

This was why Riley was never going to get Yu Fei.

Next was the Seattle SuperSonics. How wonderful would it be if Yu Fei, the son of Seattle, could go back and play in Seattle? For this, the SuperSonics were willing to trade Gary Payton and a draft pick, or Rashard Lewis plus a draft pick.

Payton was the kind of tough, all-star point guard Jordan wanted, but he wouldn't send Yu Fei to Seattle. He knew that for Fei, Seattle was the ideal place, where he would thrive and grow.

Jordan wouldn't send him to such a perfect team; it was a personal grudge.

The SuperSonics were out of the race from the start.

Then came the Denver Nuggets, who offered Nick Van Exel and two future first-round picks.

An All-Star level point guard or small forward was what Jordan was looking for.

The Nuggets certainly found the right direction.

But what Jordan really wanted was a seasoned all-star point guard, not a madman like Van Exel.

"If you're willing to add the fifth pick to this deal..."

Nuggets: Goodbye, no, better to never see you again.

Afterwards came the Magic, pretending that Grant Hill was recovering very well as they talked with the Wizards.

The Magic's goal was to swap Hill for Yu Fei in a one-for-one deal.

Jordan: Let Grant pass a physical before we talk trade.

The Magic never called again.

The Timberwolves threw Wally Szczerbiak into the mix.

Jordan: Why would I need another Richard Hamilton?

The teams that had been coveting Yu Fei gradually realized that the only players who could make Jordan agree to a trade without hesitation were those who would never be put on the shelf.

Like Duncan, like Garnett, like Nowitzki, like Shaquille O'Neal, like Kobe...

Even though Yu Fei looked promising in his rookie season, teams that had these players would never trade such caliber athletes for a rookie who had just had an impressive debut season.

As the calls dwindled and the trades stalled, Jordan finally realized he couldn't drag this out any longer and had to make a quick decision.

After turning down Nick Van Exel, Grant Hill, Wally Szczerbiak, Steve Nash, Michael Finley (Nash and Finley were separate offers; the Mavericks were quite keen on Yu Fei), Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Baron Davis, Shane Battier... the Wizards were finally nearing the completion of a trade.

The team in discussion with the Wizards was the Milwaukee Bucks.

And the Bucks' point of contact for negotiations wasn't the general manager Larry Harris, who had a poor relationship with the head coach, but head coach George Karl himself.

Karl and Jordan, both alumni of North Carolina, were both rivals and friendly acquaintances.

The Bucks, who had been predicted to charge into the playoffs with 50 wins before the season, ended up in the lottery. The sweet 2000-01 season seemed like a beautiful dream that never happened for the Milwaukee folks, and the owner demanded Karl restructure the team.

Karl was already impressed with Yu Fei during the regular season, so when the Wizards put him on the trading block, he didn't immediately join the bidding because he knew the Wizards would have high demands at the beginning of the trade.

At that time, the Bucks' offers weren't enough for the Wizards.

Now, with Jordan eager to trade and not wanting to let Yu Fei rot in his hands, George Karl's Bucks came with an offer that satisfied him.

"Sam Cassell, Tim Thomas and the 2002 tenth overall pick."

There was the solid all-star point guard Jordan wanted and the tough power forward, along with this year's lottery pick.

Most importantly, the Bucks were almost the opposite of the SuperSonics. If the SuperSonics were the best place for Yu Fei, then the Bucks were among the least ideal.