NBA: A collection of super busts

"I want an opt-out clause," Ye Feng said. "For the first two years of our collaboration, if I'm dissatisfied with you, if I feel you haven't performed your duties as an agent properly or haven't met my expectations, I can fire you at any time without any liability."

"Huh?" Reed was stunned. He had thought that Ye Feng would bargain with him, but he never expected that the terms would be so harsh.

"Doug, this is your best chance." Now it was Ye Feng's turn to squint and tempt Reed: "A chance to create greatness, to become greatness itself! It might even be your only chance in this lifetime."

"Sign a contract with a super rookie, become his agent, and then step by step, step by step, climb to the top, become the highest-ranking Zhao... cough, become the highest-ranking agent!"

"Of course, you can wait."

"Wait and see if Kobe will 'consider' you, wait and see if you have a chance to sign other players, or maybe spend another 10 years serving tea and water to others. But how many 10-year periods does one have in a lifetime?"

"I know you must have tried countless times in these 10 years, so you must also know that the opportunity lies in one or two of these moments."

"Are you really going to let this opportunity slip by? Even someone as outstanding as you, an elite destined for greatness, needs a stepping stone to truly enter that circle. You're just one last step away, Doug, just a tiny bit more!"

Ye Feng's words stunned both Klein and Reid.

Is this even possible?

Reverse brainwashing through empty promises?

Ye Feng sat there with a smile, waiting for Reed's answer. He believed that Reed would not disappoint him.

Sure enough, after taking two deep breaths, Reed said, "Deal! I trust you won't cheat me, and you certainly won't kick me aside after you've achieved success!"

At this point, the guy couldn't help but curse, "F*** you! I thought I was pretty good at brainwashing people, but now I've been the one brainwashed!"

Klein completely relaxed and laughed heartily, "I'm totally relieved now. Ye, you definitely won't suffer any losses. It's this guy who will definitely be the one who suffers."

"Then it's settled," Ye Feng said with a smile. "Congratulations, Mr. Manager!"

Reed couldn't help but say again, "Damn it, I'm clearly working for you for free, with no job security and the possibility of being kicked out and scapegoated at any time, yet it's the way I'm the one who's getting the best deal?"

"Opportunities are like this, so what should we do now?"

"First, you have to tell me if you have any red flags." Reed quickly switched into work mode: "Including but not limited to having illegitimate children, alcoholism, smoking weeds, joining a gang, forcing women or men into sexual relations, speeding."

"Or anything else that violates the law or public order and good morals. If so, you must tell me honestly, and I will immediately start preparing crisis public relations for you to ensure that even if a bombshell is dropped, it will be quickly quelled and its impact minimized."

"Not at all!" Ye Feng said, "Don't worry, I'm a very good kid."

"Not at all." Reed shook his head with a hint of regret. "Of course, I'm not disappointed. Well then, we'll start building momentum soon; you don't need to worry about these parts."

"I will arrange for reporters to conduct exclusive interviews with you, sharing more information about you and your life, so that everyone can get to know you and understand you. I will also start contacting the presidents of various teams to tell them about your draft goals and progress."

"Your leisurely days are coming to an end. After a few interviews, you'll need to prepare for tryouts. Remember, don't go overboard. Stay in shape and efficient, especially during the school team's training sessions—don't miss a single one."

"Alright, now it's my turn to paint a rosy picture for you. Ready? Future NBA superstar, Mr. Ye?"

"Ready!" Ye Feng said, "Well then, I'll introduce you to a few friends who have already joined my team and are definitely one of us."

"You need to find them some work so they can find their direction. I'll call them right now."

"No problem, is there anything else we need to do?" Reed understood the situation. In the United States, every kid who plays basketball well has a small group like this around him. Of course, he also had to distinguish which people could help Ye Feng and which people were just vampires.

"Of course! Let's talk about your commission! As a new agent, do you think it's appropriate for your commission to be exactly the same as those of senior agents?"

"Are you even human?!" Reed's eyes widened. He swore he had never seen such a shameless person.

He agreed to a completely unsecured contract, and this bastard still wants to squeeze his commission?

......

Half an hour later, a physically and mentally exhausted Reed realized that he had been completely trapped. What he had agreed to with Ye Feng was a worthless contract that was practically a servitude agreement, and he was completely ensnared.

It's not that Ye Feng's negotiation skills are particularly high; it's just that there might only be one super rookie like Ye Feng willing to use him, but Ye Feng has countless agents to choose from.

Ye Feng had a choice, but he didn't.

Then he can only keep regressing.

"Don't despair too much, Doug. Look, there are supplementary clauses here. If the cooperation goes well, I can opt out of this contract at any time and sign a more lucrative one that will give you more compensation."

"That also means you can fire me at any time." Reed slumped into his chair, completely devoid of his previous high spirits.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door of Clain's office. After the door opened, Edwards and Dina walked in.

"Hua Zi, take a look at this." Ye Feng handed over the agreement he had just reached with Reed, and introduced it to Reed: "This is one of my best buddies, Edwards. His father owns the largest law firm in all of Wisconsin."

"Actually," Edwards said, glancing at the contract, "it was my mother who opened it. My father is a dentist."

"Fuck you!" Reed finally snapped. "You wrote all the terms and conditions yourself, set all the rules, and then even hired a lawyer to review them? That's outrageous!"

Edwards ignored him and quickly glanced through the contract before saying, "Aside from being a bit too harsh, almost a pure exploitative contract, there are generally no problems. But I don't have much experience, so I'll send it to my mother for a look, and I'll give you the final answer after she confirms it."

"There definitely won't be any problems." Reed, having lost all his strength, slumped onto the sofa and said, "Even the best lawyer in the world would only sympathize with my treatment and wouldn't be able to find any fault with it."

"This is Dina," Ye Feng said with a smile, "He will be training with me for the time being and will help me maintain my fitness."

"Both of them need to join our team! We're family."

"No, you're all one family." Reid said in utter despair, "I'm just your blood slave."