LeBron James, your house got robbed.

In a Los Angeles mansion, Sterling, busy with his lover, receives a call from his wife.

As the voice on the other end of the phone gradually came through, Sterling's expression quickly darkened.

When Sterling first learned of this, he never doubted the authenticity of the source.

Instead, she quickly began to think about which lover had a conflict with her and had caused this whole mess.

The fact that the other party did not release the recording directly indicates that there is still room for negotiation.

As long as there is no substantial evidence in the end, then we can downplay the seriousness of the matter and let it pass by.

Sterling turned his phone volume up to the maximum and placed it on the table in front of him. He believed that the other party must have something to say, and all he had to do was wait and negotiate with them.

While Sterling was searching for his target, Chen Shuo, the mastermind behind it all, had already boarded Gilbert's private jet, heading straight for Los Angeles.

Paul has been staying in Los Angeles for some time now. Two years ago, he bought a top-tier mansion in the Bel Air neighborhood in the West Side of Los Angeles.

It's adjacent to the famous Beverly Hills, but less well-known and more private.

No wonder Paul insisted on going to Los Angeles.

Grant, sitting opposite Chen Shuo, remained very pessimistic about the deal.

From his perspective, the team had absolutely no need to trade Paul.

However, Grant only thought about it in his mind. Judging from the fact that he was able to travel on Gilbert's private jet, his boss clearly fully supported Chen Shuo's idea.

So it's best not to say anything.

Grant has always had a good attitude. After emerging from the shadow of being ousted by Chen Shuo, he felt that it was already good enough that he could keep his job.

Chen Shuo took in this expression and understood Grant's thoughts.

But for him, there is no time to wait for all the rookies to grow up.

Whether judging from the tasks issued by the system or from Gilbert's needs, this Cavaliers team must quickly transform into a strong team capable of competing with the Heat this year.

Only rivals of the same caliber can continuously generate buzz.

Paul, as the league's top point guard, is in his prime and is Chen Shuo's best choice.

Moreover, a point guard who excels at controlling the pace of the game is best suited to help young players develop.

More importantly, Chen Shuo needs Paul's defensive attributes.

Chen Shuo had already begun his planning when he took the initiative to meet Gilbert.

Based on this year's draft roster and free agents, Chen Shuo's team-building strategy leans towards defense, specifically targeting the Heat's defensive system against LeBron James.

This means that the team's only roster cannot have any defensive weaknesses.

Although Paul's size limits his defense, as long as a suitable system is built, his strengths are maximized and his weaknesses are minimized, and he is given the right defensive role, he can still succeed.

Paul, with his good predictions, quick actions, and strong sense of positioning, will be a sharp weapon when he goes online.

Chen Shuo actually hesitated for a long time before making this decision.

He clearly remembered the night of the draft, when Irving couldn't hide his excitement. He was willing to believe that his goals, which seemed like nonsense to the rest of the league, were something he was ready to fight for.

But things don't always go as planned.

……

During this trip, Chen Shuo deliberately avoided Paul's agent, Leon Ross.

This top agent from CAA was involved in the reunion of the South Coast Big Three and orchestrated the trade that brought Anthony to New York.

Later in his career, he even achieved his dream of becoming the general manager of the New York Knicks.

For Leon Ross, Paul going to a big city was the most profitable move.

The chances of persuading Paul in front of Leon Ross are greatly reduced.

Grant didn't have a suitable way to contact Paul, but the Cavaliers' head coach at the time was Byron Scott, Paul's mentor when he entered the league.

Although Byron Scott was later fired by the Hornets due to the team's poor performance, Paul never spoke ill of Scott in public and said that Scott was "the one who made me a professional point guard."

Scott has always had a grudge against Chen Shuo, the general manager who has regained power, yet he has excluded himself from any trades or player acquisitions.

But seeing an opportunity to acquire Paul through a deal, they were naturally willing to put aside their differences and use it as a starting point for this lobbying effort.

After all, nobody wants to coach a bottom-tier team. His memories of working with Paul are quite wonderful, and he even won Coach of the Year during that time.

After meeting, Scott and Paul chatted and laughed happily, while Chen Shuo was happy to observe from the side.

Paul's attitude suggests that he does show some respect for Scott, but he is not very interested in working with him.

This respect is for the professional mentor, not for their coaching ability.

After making up his mind, Chen Shuo suggested having a private talk with Paul.

This demand was too unreasonable, but Grant was used to it; Chen Shuo was always used to doing whatever he wanted.

Scott wasn't happy; he hadn't even finished using him before they were going to kick him aside.

Paul was a little surprised, but he still agreed to the request.

He could tell that the Cavaliers' management was entirely led by Chen Shuo.

The Clippers' current situation is unclear, and Paul is willing to spend some time with Chen Shuo.

Upon entering another reception room, Chen Shuo stared intently at Paul.

With a baby face and a height of 183 cm, he has been in the league for twenty years, but only his eyes are truly memorable, always full of longing.

Chen Shuo's first words hit Paul right where it hurt.

"I know you want to win, and winning is the most important thing for you."

Of course, money is also important, but Chen Shuo kept those words to himself; this was not the time to complain about the other party.

Chen Shuo's words apply to all players; who doesn't want to win?

But Paul understood what Chen Shuo meant: when applied to himself, it must refer to a competitive spirit far exceeding that of the average player.

But so what? Can you win just because you want to?

He'd already tried in New Orleans, and in the end, he was still branded with the shameful mark of being a 58.

"So you're going to tell me you can lead me to victory?"

Chen Shuo smiled, shook his finger, and turned the tables on him.

"No, it's you who led the team to victory. All I can do is help you build a championship-contending roster."

"There are only three strong teams in the East, but the Bulls are too young, and the Boston team is getting a bit old."

"Our only rival is the Miami Heat."

Paul thought this guy was talking complete nonsense.

While the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics certainly have their problems, they are more than capable of dealing with the current Cavaliers.

However, Paul continued along with Chen Shuo's line of thought, wanting to hear what cards the other party had up his sleeve.

"I've heard about your season goals."

"I'd like to know how you dealt with the Heat?"

Chen Shuo didn't stand on ceremony and spoke directly:

"The Miami Big Three were great, but they also took up 80% of the salary cap, which made them lose the roster depth that a championship team should have."

"To build a championship-contending team, in addition to star players, you also need a suitable salary structure, especially after the new collective bargaining agreement is introduced."

"The ideal team composition is to have two max-contract stars and one player with star ability who is still on a rookie contract."

"Use this rookie bonus to free up enough salary cap space to add role players and veteran pieces."

Paul listened attentively and pointed out the problem incisively:

"An extremely reasonable design."

"But players with star talent who are still on their rookie contracts are rare."

Chen Shuo nodded, acknowledging Paul's statement, and continued:

"There is also a moderate team-building strategy, which is to not benefit from the rookie bonus on top stars, which will result in three max contracts squeezing the team's cap space."

"So they can only try to capitalize on the rookie bonus with role players. If the Heat had three or four rookies who could make it into the rotation, their roster depth would be much better, and they wouldn't need to gamble on veterans everywhere."

Paul naturally understood what Chen Shuo meant.

The Cavaliers' summer training camp was a huge success, which was probably the rookie bonus that Chen Shuo was preparing.

Paul watched some of the leaked videos carefully, and judging from the videos alone, the level of these rookies was indeed quite good.

Having been in the league for many years, Paul knows that this is far from the actual effect in games, and we will have to wait until he enters the league to see his level.

Moreover, even if they acknowledge the benefits of these rookie bonuses, these rookies are just pieces of a puzzle and scaffolding; the Cavaliers don't have a single star player to serve as the cornerstone.

Paul didn't think much of it and directly asked the question.

Chen Shuo had come prepared, and perhaps he had come specifically for this purpose.

"Of course, Chris, we won't rely on you to carry the team alone."

"We've already made contact with a player who's a perfect fit for you."