The longest river

Chapter 164 Who would have trouble with money?

The free market is more volatile this year compared to last year.

The Bulls were the first to be affected.

The Bulls lost to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, and Jordan is eager to win back the title in the new season.

But the Bulls' management didn't think so.

Previously, Bulls owner Reinsdorf reluctantly gave Jordan $3000 million, and now that Jordan's godlike status has been shattered, he is even less likely to back down.

Another crucial point is that Pippen's "child labor contract" will expire next summer.

One thing is clear: Pippen will definitely demand a big contract after his contract expires, and the Bulls will certainly not give him one.

So the Bulls want to use Pippen's contract while he's still under contract to trade for the future.

This is also why there were rumors during the previous draft that the Bulls wanted to trade Pippen for McGrady.

Yang Shuai, a high school student, has already proven his strength, and Kobe Bryant has also shown his personal talent in Los Angeles. Naturally, they also want to take a gamble on high school students.

But this is clearly not what Jordan wants. Putting aside his relationship with Pippen, if the Bulls really traded for a high school player, it would be tantamount to extinguishing his hopes for revenge.

Therefore, Jordan directly threatened the management that if they dared to trade Pippen, he would announce his retirement.

This result was clearly not what the Bulls wanted to see. After all, they had already experienced what it was like to be without Jordan over the past year.

Furthermore, Jordan's decision last summer played a crucial role; he signed a one-year contract with the Bulls, which left the Bulls with no option to "trade Jordan."

So the two sides eventually reached a compromise.

Jordan signed a one-year, $3300 million contract extension with the Bulls, while Phil Jackson and Rodman also received lucrative one-year extensions. The Bulls did not trade Pippen.

In other words, Jordan got the revenge opportunity he wanted.

A new year, an old year; patching and mending, another year.

This series of actions further highlights the intensity of the internal conflicts within the Bulls.

The Knicks are also worth watching, because Ewing's unconventional contract has expired, and last season they assembled a star-studded roster for the playoffs but were eliminated in the first round.

Ultimately, the Knicks acted swiftly and decisively.

They completed a three-way trade with the Raptors and Warriors, sending Oakley, Starks, and two future first-round draft picks to the Raptors in exchange for Marcus Camby, the Raptors' second overall pick last year, and Sprewell, an All-Star from the Warriors last season.

The Raptors' trade seems incredible at first glance, but it's not incomprehensible. Compared to their performance, their main goal right now is to sell more tickets and survive.

The Warriors, on the other hand, have entered rebuilding mode. If they fail to make the playoffs, they will naturally trade away players with trade value for draft picks.

Moreover, the Knicks' two future draft picks are both relatively late, and the management of the Raptors and Warriors are waiting for the Knicks to collapse.

The Knicks were indeed trading their future for the present, as they subsequently signed Ewing to a four-year, $68 million contract.

The Knicks will have a lineup of Childs, Houston, Sprewell, Larry Johnson/Camby, and Ewing for the new season.

This roster is a good match for both the Bulls and the Pacers, which was key to the Knicks' decision to re-sign Ewing.

Then, in the Western Conference, Kemp, after failing to secure a contract from the SuperSonics, opted for a sign-and-trade deal, joining the Cavaliers on a 7-year, $1.07 million contract.

It's clear that the league is now in an era of multi-million dollar contracts; it would be a disservice to one's status not to sign a superstar.

However, these actions were all within expectations.

What truly threw this free market into complete chaos was an early contract extension.

Garnett and the Timberwolves have reached a 6-year, $1.26 million contract agreement!

This is no longer just a contract worth hundreds of millions of yuan, because the average annual salary of this contract has reached 2100 million yuan!
In the entire league, only Jordan's contract exceeded that number.

This instantly put Garnett in the eye of the storm.

Because Garnett simply doesn't deserve such a contract right now.

他上赛季场均才17分8板3助攻2.1盖帽1.4抢断，季后赛稍有增长，但也只有17.3分9.3板3.7助攻1.3抢断1.1盖帽。

It's no exaggeration to say that Garnett's contract has thrown the already chaotic signing market into complete disarray.

Not only are other team owners boycotting the project, but even the relationship between the Timberwolves and Garnett has become very tense.

However, Garnett felt it was a huge personal success.

After signing the contract, he immediately called Yang Shuai.

In this day and age, 2100 million a year is truly more than you can spend.

Garnett's signing is a huge shock to the free agent market, and even to NBA owners and the league, but it's the best thing that could happen to Yang Shuai.

If Garnett can sign such a contract, then how big of a contract should he get after winning the Finals MVP?
No matter what, he shouldn't be lower than Garnett, right?

After all, the Timberwolves' decision to give Garnett such a large contract was clearly based on a long-term perspective, namely, on Garnett's potential.

Yang Shuai's words show that he not only has potential, but he has already realized it.

So as soon as Garnett signed his contract, Fisher and Paul immediately went to Indianapolis.

Previously, Fisher wanted to reach a contract extension agreement with the Pacers as soon as possible, but Paul advised him to wait. Paul's shrewdness proved to be truly remarkable; now they've waited for the perfect opportunity.

Yang Shuai, wearing protective gear, also participated in the first negotiation with them.

Walsh expressed the management's high regard for Yang Shuai before the negotiations began.

There's not much to say about this. If they didn't value him enough, they wouldn't have traded Mark Jackson for Yang Shuai, nor would they have chosen Yang Shuai when given the choice between Brown and Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai also expressed the same idea, just like when he negotiated with Vaccaro, he would put the Pacers first.

After all, as Bird said, last season's championship was just the beginning for this team, and there is still much more they can do.

Moreover, Yang Shuai genuinely enjoyed playing under Bird because of the tactical synergy and Bird's high regard for him; it was truly a fun experience.

Before the negotiations began, the two sides were in a very pleasant mood.

However, once the negotiations actually began, things took a very unfavorable turn.

Because the Pacers offered Yang Shuai a 7-year, $9100 million contract.

Although this was just an initial offer and not the final contract, just like when the Timberwolves negotiated with Garnett, the initial contract was 6 years and $1.03 million, which was later increased to $1.26 million.

But this was far from the contract that Yang Shuai and his team had imagined.

In fact, Walsh seemed quite helpless when he spoke, because just like Jordan's contract was decided by Reinsdorf, this kind of contract can only be decided by the owner.

Walsh anticipated that Yang Shuai and the others would be unhappy, so he also told Yang Shuai about the team's difficulties.

The Pacers' championship win this year will inevitably boost the basketball market, but Indianapolis is a small city, and the market's potential is determined by the city's overall capacity.

Putting aside everything else, the standard of living here dictates that Pacers tickets can't be too expensive.

In the days before widespread internet access, ticket sales were a major source of revenue for a team.

This is why players these days all want to go to big cities, because big cities offer higher base salaries and a greater chance of getting big contracts.

Furthermore, players who go to big cities have higher exposure and a greater chance of getting endorsements, which includes not only the main endorsement income from shoes and beverages, but also many other sources.

Walsh also talked about the future development plan for Yang Shuai. Miller is about to turn 32, and in a few years, Yang Shuai will be the team leader.

Finally, there's the opportunity: if Yang stays in Indiana, he has the chance to create a dynasty with Miller and the others.

Walsh said a lot, and you could tell he was really trying.

However, Yang Shuai did not say a word throughout the entire process.

The two sides did not reach any substantial agreement during the first round of negotiations.

Seeing this, Walsh didn't say anything more. He gave Yang Shuai time to think it over and then prepared to come back the next day.

Ferrescher also went back to his hotel to rest.

"They really think you're Reggie Miller!"

When only two people remained, Paul finally couldn't help but complain.

Yang Shuai smiled.

When he went to the restroom earlier, Paul had already followed him in and told him a message.

That means the Pacers' contract only paid an average of $200 million more than Miller's.

Just as he had initially perceived, Simon genuinely liked Miller and didn't want Miller to feel wronged.

Therefore, Yang Shuai would definitely not accept this contract.

He didn't say anything more after that, completely ignoring what Walsh had said.

The Pacers certainly valued him highly, but he has already helped the team win its first championship in franchise history as a reward.

Moreover, asking a player to save money for the owner is simply insane.

As for the Wang Bu Dynasty, Yang Shuai really didn't have that much interest in it.

After all, he's 20 now, not 30.

As for the concern that he might not win a championship if he left the Pacers, that's not a consideration for him at all, given his systematic approach.

The Long River System is a growth system; its strength will only increase.

The reason they didn't fall out with Walsh is simple: Yang Shuai still has a contract with the Pacers.

Even if the two sides have to make a trade because they cannot reach an early contract extension, Yang Shuai will still need the Pacers' cooperation to go to the team he wants.

On the second day of the negotiations, Yang Shuai made his stance clear.

If the Pacers offer Garnett a contract similar to the one the Timberwolves offered, he will choose to stay with the Pacers.

If not, he hopes to "test the waters" of the free market to see if any other teams are willing to offer him a contract.

Yang Shuai's final decision was realistic, but it left Walsh speechless.

After all, who would turn down money?
(End of this chapter)