Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 656 Yin-Yang Contract
Early in the morning, in the bedroom, Catherine Zeta-Jones nestled in Aaron's arms. "Darling, is Universal going to start filming 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'?"

Aaron reached out and stroked the woman's smooth, white back. "Yes, after so much preparation, we're finally going to start filming!"

As of this year, J.K. Rowling's first three books, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," have sold more than 1 million copies worldwide.

Moreover, the first three books have sold over 30 million copies in the United States, and the fourth book, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," will be released globally in July.

Now, the Harry Potter series is a global phenomenon, and J.K. Rowling is a household name!
Catherine Zeta-Jones couldn't resist kissing Aaron on the lips. "You're amazing. Universal's development of the JRR Tolkien 'Lord of the Rings' series was already enough to attract attention."

"Now you're developing the Harry Potter series, aren't you afraid of failure?"

The Harry Potter series is a bit better, but the Lord of the Rings series is known as one of the most difficult novel series to develop!
“Ha,” Aaron rolled over, landing squarely on top of Catherine Zeta-Jones, “Global has plenty of cash flow right now and the resources to develop it.”

"This level of failure is completely within Universal's tolerance range. You know, the upcoming Marvel blockbuster Spider-Man carries the expectations of countless people."

Catherine Zeta-Jones smiled and hugged the man tightly. "You're always so confident!"

“Of course,” Aaron said, caressing the woman’s soft skin and kissing her lips…

Meanwhile, in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Houston Rockets defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 3-1, sending them home.
The second-round opponent is the Los Angeles Lakers. They took a 2-0 lead in Houston at the start of the game, and the third game will be played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles!
That night, the Houston Rockets lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on the road, bringing the series score to 2-1. Aaron has nothing to worry about.
He took Jennifer Connelly and Jack Wells to a nightclub in West Hollywood for entertainment.

"By the way, Michael Jordan is a minority owner and president of operations for the Washington Wizards this year, and the Wizards have only won 29 games this season."

"With such poor performance, the media speculates that Michael Jordan may make another comeback!"

Aaron put his arm around Jennifer Connelly and clinked glasses with Jack Wells.

Jack Wells shrugged. "There was still a fair amount of opposition to Michael Jordan managing the team."

"As for whether he will make a comeback, only he himself knows?"

"However, the Wizards' poor performance is mainly due to Juwan Howard's performance; his average stats this season have dropped to 14.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game."

"With a 7-year, $1.05 million contract, the first player in the NBA to have a contract exceeding $100 million, Michael Jordan is now looking to trade him to free up salary cap space."

Aaron smiled without saying a word. Michael Jordan's second comeback is a certainty!

Jennifer Connelly, who was standing nearby, asked, "Shouldn't the Rockets' rookie Tracy McGrady be re-signing this year?"

Tracy McGrady was drafted in 97, and he is indeed going to re-sign this year.

"That's right, Tracy McGrady is quite popular right now, and he's performing well. We've already reached an agreement with him to extend his contract, a maximum salary."

Jack Wells chuckled as he spoke, "Last season's lockout did have its purpose; it set maximum salaries for players at different stages, which was absolutely necessary."

"The Rockets have negotiated a 7-year, $9280 million contract with Tracy McGrady, a maximum salary!" Last year, Allen Iverson, Bryant Kobe, Anfernee Hardaway, and other members of the 96 draft class also received maximum contracts, 6 years and $7090 million.

Jennifer Connelly nodded in agreement. "It seems that the players from the '96 and '97 generation are very dissatisfied with Kevin Garnett."

Of course, Kevin Garnett's signing of a 6-year, $1.26 million contract with the Timberwolves in advance directly led to the suspension of the 98-99 NBA season and the introduction of new contract rules by the league!
Aaron then thought of Joe Smith of the Timberwolves, "I heard that Joe Smith renewed his contract with the Timberwolves again, for one year, $225 million?"

The Minnesota Timberwolves have already been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Jack Wells narrowed his eyes. "Joe Smith was the number one draft pick in '95, and he rejected an $8000 million contract extension from the Warriors after his rookie season."

"During the second half of the 1997–98 season, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, and after the season, he signed a first-year, $175 million contract with the Timberwolves."

"This season's salary is low again; it was $210 million in the second season, and now he's signed a contract for next season, which is only $225 million."

"Aaron, this guy has signed low contracts with the Timberwolves for three consecutive seasons. Only a fool would believe there wasn't some inside deal between him and the Timberwolves?"

After all, everyone in the league knows that in order to keep Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves signed him to a lucrative 6-year, $1.26 million contract, effectively locking up the Timberwolves' salary cap.

There's definitely something fishy about Joe Smith's willingness to play for the Timberwolves for three seasons at a low price.

Aaron coughed. "Obviously, after next season, Joe Smith will have played three seasons for the Timberwolves, making him eligible for the Bird exception."

"Next year, the Timberwolves can use the Bird exception to officially re-sign Joe Smith, forming a combination of Kevin Garnett and Joe Smith."

The Timberwolves' approach was clear not only to Aaron Anderson and Jack Wells, but to everyone else in the league.

But right now there's no evidence of insider trading between Joe Smith and the Timberwolves, which proves it was a dual contract!
So what if Joe Smith likes to sign low-priced contracts with the Timberwolves? Maybe he's influenced by the personal charm of Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor?

"Forget it, let them be. Minneapolis, where the Timberwolves are based, is a small market with a less-than-ideal climate, population, and economy."

"Kevin Garnett's salary is higher than our Shaquille O'Neal's. Houston may not be as big as New York or Los Angeles, but it's not comparable to Minneapolis either. Let's see if the Timberwolves lose out!"

Jack Wells was clearly a little jealous. Although Joe Smith wasn't an All-Star player, he was still quite capable.

It's definitely a good deal to get Joe Smith to work for us at such a low price!
Aaron pulled Jennifer Connelly aside, kissed her, and stroked her thigh. "Alright, after three years of this kind of money, even if Joe Smith doesn't have a problem with it, his agency will."

Jack Wells nodded. "That's true. Agents and agencies must be unhappy to only get such a small amount of revenue from Joe Smith for three consecutive years!"

Aaron Anderson and Jack Wells both started out as agents for CAA, so how could they not understand the logic?

Moreover, Angels is now a shareholder of IMG Sports, and the interests of the agency are closely linked to the players' income!
(End of this chapter)