The longest river

Chapter 165 All That's Left is Money

The Pacers ultimately decided to test Yang Shuai's market value first.

When Riley first heard the news, he thought it was fake news. After confirming that it was true, he immediately contacted the team owner, Mitch Arison.

He, who always pays attention to his appearance, even forgot to tie his tie, and his suit was just something he grabbed casually.

"We have an opportunity to change the fate of the team for the next twenty years!"

Riley was trying his best to suppress his excitement; he never expected the Pacers to release Yang Shuai!
It was the first time Arison had seen Riley like this, but after hearing Riley mention Yang Shuai, he fell silent.

"You mean you want me to sign a 19-year-old player to a contract with an annual salary of 2100 million?"

A 19-year-old Finals MVP sounds incredible, but the Pacers' strength must also be considered.

The Pacers' championship win was largely due to their strong team and the effectiveness of their tactical system.

Or, to put it more accurately, Yang Shuai can only be considered a system player in the strictest sense, and his performance outside the Pacers is highly uncertain.

"He was 20 years old. He turned 20 shortly after the Finals," Riley corrected, sensing Arison's unease about Yang's age.

“Pat, that’s not the point. KG’s contract has angered all the owners in the league, and the league may face another lockout next season.” Arison said something Riley didn’t know.

"Therefore, we should seize this opportunity now, as it may be our last chance!"

Riley now feels like he accidentally missed out on his goddess back then, but now that he has the chance to be with her, he really doesn't want to miss out again!

"If the new collective bargaining agreement stipulates a new maximum salary contract, then other teams will never be able to get Yang Shuai," he quickly added.

Allison reached out and tapped the armrest of the chair.

"Pat, is it because you missed out on him back then that you want to make up for it now?" He stared intently at Riley.

“Yes, I misjudged him back then.” Riley did not deny it.

Arison smiled. The fact that the "Mastermind" had admitted his mistake for the first time right before his eyes gave him a great sense of accomplishment.

“But we already have Alonzo,” Allison said with a hint of regret.

Riley immediately understood; Allison was still reluctant to part with the money.

Ever since arriving in Miami, he had sensed that Allison was actually a very stingy boss.

He had to use all his persuasive skills to get Mo Ning to agree to stay.

"Then let's trade Alonzo."

"What did you say?!" Allison was stunned.

He sat up and stared at Riley. Had this guy gone mad?

“From a financial perspective, we can let Alonzo go; it’s all worth it,” Riley said calmly, indicating that he wasn’t crazy.

Allison is now certain that Riley is serious; it seems the other side is willing to dismantle his newly assembled team to acquire Yang Shuai.

"Observe for a while, and let me know when there is any new information." Allison finally loosened his grip.

After Riley left, he couldn't help but shake his head.

With an annual salary of 2100 million, he would never pay the salary of a high school student. You have to know that the league's salary cap is only over 2000 million.

Moreover, Yang Shuai suffered a serious injury in the finals and will be out of action for six months. Who knows if Yang Shuai can recover to her pre-injury condition?

Not to mention that Yang Shuai is an outside player. In NBA history, only Jordan has ever been an outside player who deserves this kind of contract, but even Jordan only got it after he had fully proven himself.

The conversation between Riley and Arison was not an isolated incident; after the Pacers leaked the news, similar scenes began to unfold among other teams.

If Garnett's signing only caused an uproar in the free agency market, then this is an earthquake.

Yang Shuai just became the youngest FMVP. It feels like you have the chance to get Liu Yifei, who just played Little Dragon Girl. Any normal person would be tempted.

However, various realities, such as team salary structures, concerns about injuries, or limited market availability, make it difficult to make that kind of decision.

Even so, several teams are still willing to take a big gamble on Yang Shuai.

Mavericks, Warriors, Celtics, Trail Blazers.

The Mavericks' actions when they broke up the "3J" trio last season already revealed their thoughts on Yang Shuai; they were also among those who "missed out."

Now that the Mavericks are rebuilding and tanking and ultimately failed to draft Duncan, their interest in Yang Shuai will only intensify.

The Warriors, on the other hand, are more driven by market considerations. They are located near the Bay Area and have access to a huge Chinese market, and their market potential is enough to support such a high-stakes gamble.

For the Celtics, Auerbach won the repechage.

He had already announced his retirement, but when he heard that there was a chance to sign Yang Shuai, he rushed back to the stadium overnight.

The final Trail Blazers team was both the most unexpected and the least unexpected.

Portland isn't a big city, and its market potential is limited, but it has the richest boss in the world.

Three other teams worth watching are the Cavaliers, Knicks, and Lakers.

The Cavaliers have always had the strongest interest in Yang Shuai, but they just spent a lot of money to sign Kemp.

Cleveland fans can only blame Garnett. If he had signed with the Timberwolves earlier and the Pacers had made their announcement sooner, they would have given Young the money to sign Kemp without hesitation.

The situation for the Knicks is even more unpredictable.

The Knicks' management and coaching staff are very keen to acquire Yang Shuai. After all, they are the most authoritative voices when it comes to Yang Shuai's "ability verification".

Just like all their previous actions were aimed at acquiring Jordan.

Moreover, the Knicks are the richest team in the league, so money is not an issue for them at all.

Even New York fans strongly support Yang Shuai.

Although they say "Fuck Yang Shuai" with their mouths, their bodies tell a different story.

What ultimately prevented New York from being included was James Dolan, who had just gained control of the team.

Dolan doesn't have a problem with Yang Shuai; he's not a racist. His problem is with Yang Shuai's team.

Pressuring management to give him playing time and to decide on the head coach is his Achilles' heel.

In his eyes, the players were just working for him obediently, and now they dared to put pressure on the management, which he would never allow.

As for the Lakers, Jerry West is very interested in Yang Shuai, but the Lakers are also a team that Yang Shuai has explicitly refused to join.

For no other reason than he would never team up with someone who is racially prejudiced against him.

The Lakers are unlikely to trade O'Neal for Yang Shuai.

However, with competition from other teams, Yang Shuai's contract has also increased.

Within two days, the contract extension offers he received were already at the same level as Garnett's.

Or rather, this is the market.

Even though Yang Shuai is an outside player, and even though he just suffered a serious fracture, with Garnett's contract, he's worth that price.

This put the Pacers in a very passive position.

As it turns out, Yang Shuai and his agent team did not ask for an exorbitant price; this is what the market value is.

However, the Pacers have already exceeded the salary cap by more than $1000 million due to previous contract extensions, and with Yang Shuai's contract, it will exceed it by more than $3000 million.

They can't afford to trade some of their key players.

Moreover, trading away several key players would significantly weaken the Pacers' team.

It seems like Yang Shuai's departure from the Pacers is a done deal.

It was at this time, on a rainy night, that two guests came to Yang Shuai's home in Indianapolis.

One is Bob Whitsett, the general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers, nicknamed "The Trader," and the other, which surprised Yang Shuai, is Paul Allen, the owner of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Their arrival was naturally for the purpose of obtaining information about Yang Shuai.

Whitsitt, who was in charge of the main communication, recounted how Yang Shuai attracted them.

It all started with Yang Shuai's rookie season at the end of the season when he was blocked by the Trail Blazers' bus, and then came Yang Shuai's 51-point performance in the Trail Blazers' home arena last season.

“Mr. Allen has been dedicated to bringing glory to this team since he took over in 1988. He has always been committed to the team. We made it to the Finals twice between 1990 and 1993. Even when Clyde (Drexler) chose to leave the team, we did not give up. We never rebuild.”

Yang Shuai is not familiar with the history of the Trail Blazers, but judging from Whitsit's description, the team culture of the Trail Blazers during this period was quite good.

Paul Allen not only has money, but he also genuinely follows the team.

After Whitsit finished speaking, Allen finally spoke.

His very first words struck straight to the soul.

"money is not a problem."

"As long as you're willing to come, my offer will always be the highest in the market."

What a tycoon's statement! If this were an auction, he would have instantly won the entire room.

Yang Shuai seemed to be deep in thought.

As Allen said, it also involves the question of whether he is willing to go.

The Trail Blazers are still far less competitive than the Pacers.

Moreover, since Drexler left, the team has lacked a clear leader, and the team as a whole has appeared somewhat chaotic.

Aside from the team, Portland is a coastal city in the west, while Yang Shuai had always lived in an inland city in the east.

This is also a challenge for Yang Shuai in his daily life.

Seeing that Yang Shuai did not answer immediately, Allen spoke up again.

“I can sign an agreement with you. If you can bring a championship to the team and you choose to retire here, I will give you 5% of the team shares when you retire.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Shuai's expression was just as shocked as when he opened the envelope that Fellman had given him and saw the $100 million check inside.

Not only him, but also Fisher, Paul, and even Whitchett who came with Allen stared wide-eyed.

Clearly, Allen's idea was also a spur-of-the-moment decision.

A 5% stake, and keep in mind that the market value of NBA teams is constantly growing, and Yang Shuai is still at least a decade away from retirement.

If the Trail Blazers' market value reaches 1 billion by then, that would be equivalent to 50 million.

Dude, are you really so poor that all you have left is money?
(End of this chapter)