After getting back to New York from Charlotte on October 31, Lin Yi met up with Javier Stanford at Silvestri, a cozy Italian place in Manhattan.
The Knicks had a back-to-back that night against the Sixers, so Lin scheduled lunch early. He'd hit the training facility in the afternoon for some light recovery work.
The specials today were Risotto and Salami—D'Antoni's recommendations. The risotto was rich and buttery, fried up with diced onions and finished with white wine. Soft, tender, and flavorful. The salami came in thick, cured rounds dusted with that signature white mold—classic Italian.
Lin, being the food-lover he was, dove in with interest.
Across the table, Javier looked at him like he was trying to solve a puzzle. "Lin, are you sure about this trade idea? I mean, Chris Duhon's our starting point guard, and Marco Belinelli's just riding the bench in Toronto."
Javier, to his credit, knew basketball more than GM Donnie Walsh most days. But even he thought Lin's idea was a little out there.
Lin just grinned. He understood why Javier was skeptical—after all, the guy didn't have his knowledge.
"Okay," Lin leaned in. "Be honest—what's the real difference between Duhon and Tony Douglas?"
Javier blinked. "…Now that you mention it, not much."
"Exactly," Lin said. "Duhon's been a non-factor through two games. Just playing 'pass-the-ball-and-hide.'"
"And Belinelli?" Javier still looked doubtful.
"Look, the Raptors aren't using him right. They're all in on developing DeRozan. Belinelli's just hanging out on the wing, barely getting touches, tossing in the occasional three. But he can shoot, man. He's good at the two and three spots."
Lin leaned back. "And if we're serious about going further this season, we need shooters. Not guys who just dribble up and hand the ball off."
He could see Javier was still processing it all. But Lin remembered: Belinelli only looked average because Toronto didn't know what to do with him. Later on, when he joined Philly in '17–18, he was a revelation, he and J.J. Reddick were knocking those threes like nothing. When Embiid got hurt, Belinelli was instrumental to the Sixers in order to torch teams with Simmons and a squad of shooters.
And D'Antoni? Give him one good shooter, and he'll build you a damn offense. Lin didn't need to tell him what to do—D'Antoni would know exactly how to use Belinelli.
"I get it," Javier nodded. "Donnie should go for it. The Raptors might bite, and it's a straightforward deal. But what about your second idea? Louis Williams? You think Philly's letting him go? Our best chip is probably Larry Hughes's expiring deal."
Lin spooned another bite of risotto, looked at Javier, and said with a smile, "Take your time. Talk to them. Show them some love. That's all I am asking for."
Javier just gave a tired chuckle. "Man, you are a headache for me and Donnie. Lou's a promising scorer, and Hughes is on a contract. Unless Philly completely loses their mind, there's no way—"
But Lin already knew Philly would lose their mind. He just couldn't say why.
Here's the thing: the Sixers were in full chaos mode. After years of Iverson, they were desperate for a new star. They knew Louis Williams wasn't that guy. They wanted to tank quietly, but seriously.
So to them? An expiring contract and a draft pick sounded pretty good.
Not that Stanford or Donnie had a clue. They thought Lou was untouchable, some rising core piece. But Lin knew better. The Sixers were ready to give up even on players like Holiday or future Finals MVP Iguodala if it meant chasing another lottery dream.
Lin was betting that Hughes's contract and a decent pick would seal it.
He wasn't chasing Lou just for fun either. Lou was fast, could shoot off the dribble, and would thrive running the pick-and-roll with Lin. He was a perfect sixth man—leaky on defense, but pure firepower off the bench. And that's exactly what the Knicks needed.
"And the third guy you want us to trade for?" Javier asked, raising an eyebrow. "Danny Green?"
Lin nodded. "Yeah."
Javier laughed. "You two have some UNC bond going on, or what?"
Not exactly. Lin knew Green couldn't even get minutes in Cleveland, and that the Cavs would happily trade him for peanuts.
But Lin also knew the truth: Danny Green would become a cornerstone 3&D player. That kind of low-usage, high-impact guy was gold in D'Antoni's system. And in New York? He was exactly what they needed to plug the holes in their perimeter defense.
Lately, Javier and Donnie had been scrambling to offload Eddie Curry's terrible contract. Lin helped them there, too, suggesting the Timberwolves.
Why? Because Minnesota was always willing to eat bad deals if it meant grabbing future picks. They were committed to long-term tanking, and Lin remembered exactly when and how they'd take on Curry.
He wasn't giving the Knicks cheat codes—just a head start.
For Lin, this wasn't some fan wish list. It was a blueprint. A cheat sheet from the future. He knew how the league moved. He just had to nudge the pieces into place before anyone else caught on.
...
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