I Can’t Stay with the Warriors Anymore, Right?

Guys there is already content on patreon, if anyone wants to become a chunin or jonnin.

patreon.com/Chuga320 (More 50 chapters)

—————————————————————————————————————————————

San Francisco, Oakland.

Monta Ellis glared at the USA Today newspaper in his hands and read with a scowl:

"…Monta Ellis is likely to be traded by the Warriors. His presence has hindered Curry's development. It is reported that the Warriors' star sprained his ankle while riding an electric bike last season, but later lied about it, claiming the injury occurred during training. He was suspended for 30 games by the Warriors. The management has long been dissatisfied with him…"

Bang!

He angrily slammed the newspaper onto the table, scattering the pile of papers.

ESPN Deportes, Movistar Deportes, Bleacher Report... all these outlets had headlines speculating on whether Monta Ellis would be traded by the Warriors.

He turned to his agent, Darius Nelson, and asked sternly:

"Is this true?"

Darius Nelson tried to calm him down:

"Monta, don't worry. There's nothing definite from the Warriors yet. I've asked around, and this was probably something Silas said in an interview, exaggerated by the reporter. It's not real."

"Silas? What did he say that got twisted like this?" Monta Ellis asked.

"It's nothing, really. The reporters are just trying to attract attention…" Darius hesitated.

"Tell me what he said!" Monta Ellis barked.

"He just mentioned…that Curry will be the starting point guard for the Warriors next season," Darius finally confessed.

Monta Ellis' face darkened further. After Baron Davis left, he considered himself the new face of the Warriors. Even with the team's new ownership, he hadn't worried much.

The NBA is a league that revolves around its stars. No matter how much management or ownership changes, talented players don't get pushed aside.

But that didn't seem to be the case with the Warriors.

Monta Ellis had felt uneasy when the team drafted Curry.

What he needed was a defensive partner in the backcourt, not a rookie who also needed to handle the ball. Wouldn't that divide his role?

Before he could voice his frustration, though, Liam Gonzalez had announced himself as both owner and head coach of the Warriors, which made Ellis feel like the writing was on the wall.

Everyone knew Liam's connection to Curry. He put in so much effort to bring Curry to Golden State, there was no way he would let Curry be a bench player. But how could there be enough possessions for both of them?

The media rumors suddenly made 80% sense to Ellis.

He had previously thought about putting pressure on the front office to secure his place, but now that seemed pointless.

He wasn't just losing minutes—he was about to be traded, and no one had even told him.

"What's the point of worrying about stats when you're about to be shipped out?" Ellis muttered.

"Darius, I can't stay with the Warriors anymore, right?" Ellis said quietly.

The Warriors had developed him, starting as a second-round pick and eventually getting him a multi-million-dollar contract. Although he was suspended last season, he was happy in Oakland. Ellis wasn't overly ambitious and was content with his life.

If it were possible, he didn't want to leave the Warriors.

Darius Nelson sighed:

"Monta, to be honest, I don't know either. The media's analysis makes sense. It will be very difficult for you and Curry to coexist. Coach Liam may indeed trade you…"

"But Larry Riley hasn't talked to me about this. I didn't want to cause friction, so I didn't ask him directly. With the rumors getting louder, though, I'll reach out. If the trade talk is false, we can hold a press conference with the team to clear things up."

Monta Ellis nodded mechanically, understanding his agent's unspoken message. If the Warriors were truly planning to trade him, they needed to prepare for it.

…

Colombia, Medellon, Antioquia

The sun was beating hard in southern Colombia in August. Even the wind was scorching, and the constant buzzing of cicadas accentuated the hot and restless atmosphere.

Liam Gonzalez rested lazily on an amaca, which had been his father Javier's favorite "throne". His father had gone out to play chess with old friends, so Liam had taken the opportunity to claim it for his own.

He flipped through channels absentmindedly, watching familiar yet distant celebrity faces, thinking about the entertainment industry of future decades. The changes in time felt real to him.

A week earlier, he had flown back to Colombia from the U.S. to enjoy a much-needed vacation.

"Buzz…"

Liam's phone rang. He stayed reclined in the chair, lazily groping for the phone on the table without even looking at it. When he finally found it, he answered casually:

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Boss, it's me," Larry Riley's respectful voice came through the line.

"Larry...is something wrong?" Liam switched to English.

He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 7 p.m. in Colombia, being two hours behind in Oakland. Larry Riley didn't call unless it was urgent.

"It's about Monta Ellis' agent. He contacted me today, asking about the trade rumors…" Larry Riley's voice was hesitant.

When the media first reported Ellis' potential trade, Larry had informed Liam immediately and suggested issuing a joint statement with Ellis or holding a press conference to deny the rumors. But Liam had instructed him to do nothing, leaving Larry puzzled.

Now that Ellis' agent had demanded answers, Riley felt compelled to check with Liam directly.

"What did you say?" Liam asked.

"I told him I don't have the authority to make that decision—that only you do," Larry said with a helpless chuckle.

It had become public knowledge that Riley was merely a puppet general manager, a fact that the Ellis situation had only confirmed.

Liam smiled slightly.

"Larry, you already know the answer. Otherwise, you wouldn't have called me."

Larry Riley paused for a moment, then ventured cautiously:

"Are we really going to trade Monta Ellis?"

"Isn't it obvious? When I didn't agree to clarify the rumors, you should have figured it out," Liam replied calmly.

Larry Riley hesitated.

"But…he's the Warriors' top star…"

"Larry, the moment Stephen joined the Warriors, he became the team's top star. Put Monta Ellis on the trading block. We're aiming for draft picks. It's fine to take on some bad contracts if necessary. Collect all the genuine offers and report back to me," Liam instructed.

"Understood. I'll get on it right away," Larry Riley agreed quickly.

For those who were wondering what was going to happen with Monta

End of this chapter

Note: Hi if you really like NBA novels, you can support me either in this pg with stones, reviews etc, or in patreon since the niche of sports and specially NBA is very small is Webnovel since people prefer to read Naruto, Pokemon, comics etc.