Maybe you are right. But I think I have heard that if you offer the guy a first-round contract his rights are yours. In other words, I don't think Yi is getting free entry to the draft next year.
But that still doesn't affect Yi's hammer. His hammer is that he doesn't need to come to the NBA in the first place. It's quite a different story between Yi and an American guy who either has to report to the NBA or try to make his way in international ball.
I have thought from the beginning that this was a battle the Bucks were dumb to fight. Basically, when a guy tells you he will not play with you--and particularly when he has some leverage to back it up--you are pretty damn foolish if you think you can make him play with you. I expect that the Bucks drafted him to deal him. Otherwise, they may well have wasted a very, very valuable draft pick.
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