The 28-year-old No. 1 pick is in the bottom salary market! Where is Westbrook Paul going in the most brutal summer in the NBA?

The free agent market opened, some people drove champagne on the yacht with a contract of 100 million yuan, and some people were waiting on the phone to wait for a veteran’s basic salary. When new stars born in the 2000s, such as Fox and Harper, start a new chapter in their lives with annual salary of tens of millions. Paul's persistence at the age of 40, Westbrook's lonely back, and his determination to clear social media with Simmons - to work together to create the most sad picture of the free market.

When the Spurs filled the backcourt with 25-year second-place Dylan Harper and All-Star Fox, the 40-year-old Paul held 10.46 million contract data (8.8 points + 7.4 assists) but fell into an embarrassing situation - it was not that he couldn't play, but that he couldn't let go. League sources revealed that the Knicks and the Clippers are still waiting and watching, but the focus of the game has long surpassed the competitive level: Paul refuses basic salary and requires guaranteed rotation time per game of more than 25 minutes; the Clippers are only willing to give an unguaranteed training camp contract, while the Knicks ask him to accept the positioning of a mentor. What's even more cruel is that in the torrent of the tide of the youth team of the stylist, the 12th-time All-Star's art of controlling the field is being labeled as "outdated luxury". "He is like the Rolls-Royce in the museum. Everyone praises the craftsmanship, but no one is willing to pay."

Westbrook's agent's phone number is terrible. The data of 13.3 points + 6.1 assists last season proved that his fuel tank was oily, but the championship team was only willing to offer a veteran's basic salary - this offer is less than 1/6 of Harden's annual salary (40 million), and is even a fraction of Durant's (50 million) salary pool. The forklift of the third young master of the Thunder has become the most cruel growth fable in the NBA: Durant is still the key killer with the Rockets; Westbrook is a member of the Lakers and the Nuggets, and has reduced his value for his dream of winning for four years; Harden is in charge of the Clippers' command tower. Clear INS to unblock the Clippers! Simmons, 28, said goodbye to Los Angeles in the most decisive way. When Lu was directed by DNP in the playoffs (average 8 minutes per game), the No. 1 pick in 2016 had long been nailed to the shameful pillar of "the most loss-making asset in the NBA": during the 5-year, 170 million contract period, he only played 90 games due to injury. Ironically, Simmons off the court had a way out: 14 companies under his name built a business empire, and the struggle on the training ground was more like a formal farewell performance.

Professional sports never lacks stories of geniuses falling, but what hurts more than failure is the crisp sound of superstar dignity in the face of reality. What Pauls really want to sign is not a contract, but an agreement to reconcile with themselves. When the curtain of the free market falls, perhaps what should be remembered most is not the contracts of billions of yuan, but the unwillingness in the eyes of these veterans - that is the most stubborn farewell to youth.