Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 426 A Shocking Deal

Inside the hotel room, Aaron, Rockets general manager Ray Patterson, and head coach Rudy Tomjanovich sat on the sofa discussing something.

"If we trade for O'Neal, we'll have to give up Olajuwon, and we don't have enough salary cap space!"

General Manager Ray Patterson said, glancing at Aaron as he did so, because next year, their combined contracts would exceed the salary cap.
However, the Rockets have Hakeem Olajuwon's Bird exception, and they can use the Bird exception to re-sign Olajuwon next year.

But if we bring in O'Neal with a max contract, how much should we offer Olajuwon's new contract? We can let O'Neal take a smaller amount this year and make up for it later.

The important thing is Hakeem Olajuwon's contract next year. In order to keep Jordan, the Bulls offered him an annual salary of $3000 million.

Last summer, the Knicks signed Patrick Ewing to a two-year, $2172 million contract extension.
The contract stipulated that Patrick Ewing's annual salary was as high as $1872 million in the previous season of 1995-1996, but his annual salary in the 1996-1997 season was only $300 million. The Knicks did this in order to pursue Michael Jordan this summer, but unfortunately, things did not go as planned.

Aaron certainly doesn't lack money, but if Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal are kept together, their combined salaries next year will definitely exceed $3000 million. The Rockets also have other players, so the salaries are too high.

Aaron tapped the table, lost in thought. It seemed he couldn't keep Olajuwon.

“Then let’s make a trade,” Aaron said, though he was a bit cold-hearted. But given Olajuwon’s situation, the Rockets simply couldn’t beat the Utah Jazz and Seattle SuperSonics in the West.

With Shaq, Hakeem Olajuwon is no longer a necessity!

Head coach Rudy Tomjanovich's eyes widened. "Are you really going to trade Hakeem Olajuwon?"

Aaron shrugged. "Hakeem Olajuwon will be 35 next year, and injuries are starting to appear. For the Rockets to remain competitive, they need a young core."

"Now that we have a chance to get O'Neal, we can't miss it!"

Besides, Hakeem Olajuwon's contract expires next year, and if he renews it, his salary will definitely increase.

Are the Rockets going to tank in order to compete for next year's number one draft pick, Tim Duncan?
"Trade Hakeem Olajuwon and Dennis Rodman, and trade any other veteran players that need trading to free up salary cap space."

"Get Shaq, and give him a top-tier 7-year, $1.2 million contract!"

Ray Patterson's hand trembled. "A $1.2 million contract?"

Aaron nodded. "Also, I heard the Suns are going to trade Charles Barkley. Maybe we can bring him to Houston!"

As for Hakeem Olajuwon, he has no shortage of buyers; many teams want him.

"Alright, go ahead and do it. Since we can't get Jordan anyway, let's focus all our efforts on getting Shaq!"

Having made the decision, Aaron immediately gave the orders to carry it out.

After Rockets general manager Ray Patterson and head coach Rudy Tomjanovich left, Aaron went to the window!
That night, Aaron nestled in Jennifer Connelly's arms, enjoying her tenderness. "The Rockets will trade Hakeem Olajuwon, otherwise, we won't have enough salary cap space to sign Shaquille O'Neal."

"Well, it's good that you've made your decision. However, when this news breaks, Rockets fans will probably be heartbroken!"

Jennifer Connelly then kissed Aaron on the cheek.

After all, Hakeem Olajuwon stayed with the Rockets after they selected him with the first overall pick in 1984, helping the team rise to prominence.
Moreover, he had just helped the Rockets win two NBA championships in the past two years. "Whatever, that's how it is!"

Aaron had no choice. If he missed out on a player like Shaquille O'Neal, he would really regret it.

“Hmm,” Jennifer Connelly didn’t say anything, but directly silenced Aaron with a kiss!
Soon, heavy breathing from a man and a woman could be heard coming from the bedroom...

The NBA market is buzzing with activity. Just three days before the opening ceremony of the Atlanta Olympics, the Houston Rockets announced a major trade:

They acquired players like Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson from the Phoenix Suns, but also traded away Hakeem Olajuwon, sent Dennis Rodman to the Bulls, and acquired Steve Kerr;

Hakeem Olajuwon's departure shook the league, and the blockbuster trade between the Rockets and the Suns attracted the attention of the entire media.

The very next day, the Houston Rockets announced that they had signed Shaquille O'Neal to a seven-year, $120 million super contract.

Shaquille O'Neal became the third player in the league to earn over 100 million dollars, following Juwan Howard and Alonzo Mourning, and also has the most valuable contract in the NBA to date!

The Houston Rockets' series of moves have opened the eyes of the NBA. Although they gave up their core player Hakeem Olajuwon, they brought in the Magic's midfield core Shaquille O'Neal.

Together with Charles Barkley and Clyde Drexler, they formed the Rockets' Big Three.

Charles Barkley's contract doesn't expire until 1998, so he only has two years left and $680 million, which is much cheaper!

In Inglewood, Los Angeles, at the Great Western Forum, Lakers general manager Jerry West paced back and forth in his office, looking utterly incredulous!

Lakers owner Jerry Buss sighed, somewhat helplessly saying, "Losing O'Neal is something we can't avoid; the Rockets have been planning this for a long time."

Weren't we supposed to all be chasing after Michael Jordan together?
Why did the Houston Rockets just spend $1.2 million to sign O'Neal?
"We were too slow!"

Jerry West was very unwilling and seemed very helpless. This year, he had just acquired young high school player Bryant Kobe from the rookie market.

After failing to acquire Jordan, they turned their attention to Shaquille O'Neal of the Magic, but the Rockets beat them to it.

It would be quite difficult for Michael Jordan to join a team other than the Bulls. Apart from the Bulls, no other team has Jordan's Bird exception, and their salary cap space would definitely not satisfy Jordan.

The Knicks can free up $1500 million in salary cap space, and their owner, ITT Group, will also offer a $1500 million advertising contract with its Sheraton hotels!

However, the Bulls remained clear-headed and signed Jordan to a one-year contract worth over $3000 million.

Jerry Buss smiled wryly. "Who would have thought that Aaron Anderson would trade for Hakeem Olajuwon?"

Hakeem Olajuwon has been the cornerstone of the Rockets for years!

However, trading Hakeem Olajuwon for Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson not only saved salary cap space but also increased the team's overall strength. After all, with O'Neal's addition, the Rockets' interior defense was no longer a problem...

(End of this chapter)