NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

"Is this how you always do business?" Van Gundy couldn't help but ask as Lin Tian hung up the phone. "It's completely different from your usual style."

"It depends on the person," Lin Tian shrugged. "If I'm talking to a smart person, I'll act smarter than everyone else. If I'm talking to an idiot, I'll make him think he's a genius."

As Lin Tian spoke, he made another call: "Larry, do me a favor, help me lower the price, call the Nets and tell them you want to trade some trash for Yao."

"We're competitors, why should I help you?" Bird's voice came from the other end of the phone, completely businesslike.

"You guys need a forward scorer, right? You've always wanted someone to help Granger relieve some of the pressure, haven't you? Nazr Muhammad, an excellent swingman at the 3-4 position, if you help me close this deal with Yao Ming, I'll give you this guy."

"It's a deal!" Upon hearing there was a benefit, Bird didn't hesitate and quickly hung up the phone. Five minutes later, he called back and said, "Franky is using the price you gave him to inflate his price. You really offered this idiot three first-round offers?"

"You listened to his nonsense, so I gave him a first round." Lin Tian said dismissively, "What did you say?"

"Of course I said only an idiot would give Yao more than one first-round pick. Sell him if you want, don't sell him if you don't. If it weren't for Greg's injury concerns, I wouldn't have considered bringing in a center." Then I hung up the phone. By the way, friendly reminder, the Jazz just selected Paul George.

"It's your turn to choose next."

"Then I'll pick the players first. After I finish this Yao deal, I'll send Muhammad to you guys. Is it too much to ask for a second-round pick? Trading a second-round pick for a scorer and tough guy who averages 10 points per game, you'll make a killing!"

"Go to hell!" Bird cursed as he hung up the phone, then disappeared to do something else.

Lin Tian then looked at Van Gundy and Stevens and said, "When doing business with smart people, this is how I do it. Alright, Brad, call the office and say we're looking for Gordon Hayward. Luckily, this guy was willing to listen and rejected a lot of tryout requests, which is why he ended up here."

"Otherwise, I would have to go through the trouble of trading draft picks to get him."

While lamenting Lin Tian's shamelessness, Stevens silently kept this trick in mind and called Stern to express his choice of Gordon Hayward.

In this way, the Bobcats have officially completed their first offseason acquisition. With Hayward on the roster, trading for Muhammad, who has a conflicting position, naturally became a necessary step.

A little while later, Franky, who was clearly getting impatient, called Lin Tian: "Lin, how are your talks with Toronto going?"

"Not going well, damn Toronto bastards! That son of a bitch Colangelo is definitely getting revenge for taking down his American team so many times! He asked me for an astronomical price!"

Lin Tian started cursing as soon as he answered the phone: "I gave him everything I could! Four first-round picks and Marvin Williams! But that bastard actually refused. He said he wouldn't trade Xu to me unless I offered Rose! FUXX! That bastard! Why doesn't he just die?"

"So your deal fell through?"

"Fall in? Of course not! I never give up! I'm not the kind of person who gives up easily!" Lin Tian said decisively, "Xu, I'm determined to have him today. Even Jesus can't stop him, I'm telling you!"

“I’m going to add DeRozan to the offer! This time, I’m sure he won’t refuse.”

"That price is way too high!" Franky exclaimed. "He's lying to you! He's ripping you off! Don't fall for it, Lin!"

“I know! This price is definitely too high for Xu, but I really need someone I know on my team, so I have to take this gamble! I believe Xu can at least become a star like Carter! Okay, that’s it, Franchi.”

"You're a good person, but I'm determined to win over Xu!"

"Lin! Lin! Lin!" Franky was still screaming in pain when Lin Tian hung up the phone without hesitation.

Lin Tian, ​​who had just put on a show of anger, looked at the two people in front of him and said, "Now, we just need to wait for him to lower the price himself and then call us."

Franky stared at his phone, feeling a restless, agonizing anxiety.

He wanted to call Lin Tian again, but he knew that if he kept calling, he would definitely be at a disadvantage.

But he was unwilling to accept that such a good water pipe was about to be knocked down by Colangelo first!

I was the one who discovered this sucker first, so why did you, Colangelo, beat me to it?
Meanwhile, if Lin Tian and Colangelo reach a deal, wouldn't the Bobcats be completely drained? If they're drained, what kind of deal can they make? How can they still swindle Lin Tian out of his benefits?
Of course, what worries Franchi even more is that if even a greenhorn like Lin Tian is unwilling to pay a high price for Yao Ming, then who will he sell Yao Ming to?

Bird just offered an almost comical package: three second-round picks and two rotation picks.

This is ridiculous!

Although Frankie rejected Bird without hesitation, his expectations of Yao Ming were rapidly declining due to the constant inquiries and negotiations in recent days.

Should we really put it on the trading deadline?
Franky became increasingly uncertain the more he thought about it, and finally decided to act decisively!
There's only one large water tap, so I have to figure that out myself first!
After hesitating for a while, Franky finally cursed and then called Lin Tian again!

"Lin, how did your talks with Toronto go?"

"Almost there! I just traded Nazir Muhammad for a second round, and I think they're close to agreeing!"

"What about Yao? You're not even considering her?"

"Yao is not as good as Xu, Frankie!" Lin Tian shook his head and said, "Yao is too old and has injuries. He doesn't fit our team's building strategy. To be honest, I would rather risk everything to gamble on Xu's future than pay too high a price to exchange for Yao."

"And now I don't have any Muhammad to give you."

"Don't you still have Okafor?" This time, Franchi couldn't hold back and offered more money. "With Yao, Okafor and Yao are completely overlapping. What are you doing keeping two centers on multi-million dollar contracts on the team?"

"It would be better to just switch places between the two of them!"

Emeka Okafor was the Bobcats' first draft pick since entering the league, and also the first player in Bobcats history to receive a multi-million dollar contract. He is 28 years old this year and averaged 13 points, 10 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game last season.

He still has two years and 25 million left on the big contract he signed with the team back then, which can be considered a fairly decent and high-quality asset.

“But Okafor was the first player the team drafted, and I…”

"Lin, you can't just do business based on sentiment; you also have to consider the future and the team's plans! If you keep Okafor, people will definitely laugh at you for being foolish. Also, with two completely overlapping centers, who will start and who will be the substitute? Who will make sacrifices and who will play more games and take more shots?"

"If you keep Okafor, as a veteran player, he will definitely form cliques and factions. And if you want Yao to be the leader, frankly speaking, your team will definitely have problems because of this!"

"Therefore, trading Okafor is your best option."

"Frankie, you're right, but I don't really want Yao anymore. I really think Xu is more suitable, so I have to refuse you because..."

"Lin, I'm a straightforward person. I'm telling you this because I'm afraid you'll be deceived! Give me Okafor and two first-round picks, and I'll give Yao to you."

"Two first-round picks are too many, and Okafor is very valuable! I can't possibly agree to that demand! But you gave me an idea, Franky. If I include Okafor in the deal for Xu, maybe that shameless bastard Colangelo will agree."

"Please wait a moment."

At this point, Lin Tian had completely dropped his pretense and revealed his true colors. If Franky still had any sense, he would have noticed something was wrong after a moment's thought.

Unfortunately, the urgency to trade Yao Ming, the intense anxiety about Yao Ming getting injured again, and the fact that the team had just spoken with Favors and said they would give him a starting position, all put Franchi under immense pressure, and he lost his composure at this moment.

He's now completely trapped in the cycle of impulsive spending.

For example, he forgot that Yao Ming and Okafor's positions overlap, but does that mean Okafor and Favors' positions don't overlap?

Unfortunately, he had no time to think about that now; he just wanted to squeeze a little money out of Lin Tian before he was completely drained by Colangelo.

"Lin!" Franky called out to Lin Tian again, "I'm giving you my bottom line now, my final offer: Okafor plus a first-round pick, and I'll give you Yao! I won't lower the price any further, this is my limit!"

“But Yao and Okafor can’t be matched. There’s a difference of 6-700 million between their contracts. I have to match it with one more person. The only suitable candidate we have is Muhammad. How about this, you give me a second-round pick from this year and Yao, and I’ll give you Okafor + a first-round pick from next year + Muhammad. Let’s do it!”

"You've made a killing by trading a second-round pick for a forward who averages 10 points per game and a tough guy! I'll just consider this a loss for me."

After thinking quickly for a while, Franzi made up his mind!
Trading a 31-year-old veteran who has been plagued by injuries for two consecutive years for a 28-year-old in his prime, who is clearly not as good as Yao Ming but is still quite healthy, plus a first-round pick, is definitely a win!
Change!
Once the idea of ​​agreeing was formed, Franky quickly made a decision and immediately informed the league.

Thus, the first noteworthy trade of this year's draft has been made!

Yao Ming (2000 million) + the Nets' second-round draft pick from the Jazz, in exchange for the Bobcats' Okafor (1150 million) + Nazr Muhammad (650 million) + the Bobcats' 2011 first-round draft pick!
Franky was incredibly pleased with himself after the deal was made!
Although the return from selling Yao Ming wasn't huge, it was definitely enough! After all, Yao Ming had missed two consecutive years due to injury. He also specifically noted that the Bobcats didn't offer any protection in the first round!

If they win the lottery next year, this is a lottery draw!

Considering that Lin Tian is a rookie head coach, this is quite possible!

In addition, he secretly traded his third overall pick in the second round for the Jazz's tenth overall pick in the second round, making a small profit again!
In conclusion, he felt like he'd hit the jackpot! He was overjoyed!
As for Lin Tian?

He didn't care. How should I put it about his first deal?

He gave himself an 80 out of 100, mainly because he was worried that some sucker might come along and try to rip Franky off. So Lin Tiancai didn't continue to haggle or dawdle with Franky, as he was also worried that things might get complicated if he waited too long.

More importantly, Lin Tian has absolute confidence in the future of his team. The first-round draft pick he gave up is 25 or later! It will definitely not be earlier.

More importantly, he had secretly contacted Yao Ming and confirmed Yao's health and mental state. He was certain that Yao hadn't given up and still possessed the discipline and ambition of a top player.

Trading such a player for a player like Okafor, a useless player with no potential to be developed, and Mohammed, who will have no place in his own team next season, is an absolute steal!
In short: it's a win-win situation, and both sides are happy!

When the trade was reported to the league, Stern looked at all the details of the trade and couldn't help but shake his head and say, "I have a feeling that Yao will definitely be a dominant force and fully recovered next season."

"You mean Lin illegally recruited Yao through some illegal channels and has his health report?" Xiao Hua reacted quickly, asking Stern, "Should we investigate?"

"There's no need, after all, we have absolutely no evidence. The important thing is, I know Lin. That bastard won't make a losing deal, and he certainly won't be robbed in his very first deal after taking office! That little fox is cunning! Let's see what he'll get up to next season!"

After quickly securing Yao Ming's signature, Lin Tian then made consecutive moves in the second round of the draft, acquiring Lance Stephenson, the "number one LeBron James fan," and Landry Fields, a fellow player with high basketball IQ and a "friend of Jeremy Lin."
Many people know Stephenson; he's an extremely confident guy with impressive skills. His only problem is that he thinks he's a top star, but in reality, he's only at the level of an average rotation player.

If someone can curb his desires and make him play honestly, he's an absolute gem. But if no one can control him, his explosiveness in the locker room is truly extraordinary.

As for Fields, he and Jeremy Lin can be considered as equally talented individuals.

Jeremy Lin got into Harvard through his studies, while Fields got into Stanford through his studies. Both of them are from Ivy League schools, so it's no wonder they get along so well.

On the court, Fields' achievements are far inferior to Jeremy Lin's. His strengths are intelligence, good positioning, rebounding ability, decent defense, and a strong physique. Apart from that, he is not worth mentioning in other aspects.

While his achievements on the basketball court may not be great, he is exceptionally talented in team management. Born in 1988, Fields entered the league in 10 years and retired in 16 years. Then, in 2022, he became the Hawks' president of basketball operations!

At just 34 years old, Fields became the number one player on a team, making NBA history by becoming the youngest player in NBA history to serve as a team president!

He's several years younger than Lin Tian this year.

Choosing Fields also proves that Lin Tian will do his best to implement the team's tactical philosophy of passing, movement, and off-the-ball movement in the first half of the game next season!

After acquiring three rookies and Yao Ming, the Bobcats' roster is becoming increasingly complete.

After reviewing the team's roster, Lin Tian clearly understood what the team was currently lacking.

An excellent power forward and backup point guard!

The good news is that Lin Tian has options for both positions.

First, regarding the point guard position, Lin Tian immediately offered Jeremy Lin, who was not selected in the draft, a Summer League contract right after the draft.

Let's play in the Summer League first, and then we'll talk about it!
It's worth mentioning that Lin Tian also told Stevens, who was about to go to coach the Summer League for some practice, "Let Lin start, he'll surprise you!"

As for the choice of position 4, it's not so cost-effective.

However, before we delve into how to handle the power forward position, let's take a look at the Bobcats' current payroll.

Over the past few seasons, Jordan has adhered to the philosophy of saving money wherever possible, and finding ways to save money where it's not possible.

Before Lin Tian took over the team, only Okafor had a salary of over 1000 million in the team's 15-man roster, and only Marvin Williams, the second overall pick that year, had a salary of 800 million. The third highest-paid player was Muhammad, who had just been traded.

Counting down to Derrick Rose, who is still on his rookie contract in his fourth year! Rose, who entered the league as the number one draft pick, will earn $550 million in his fourth year!
Now, after trading away their two highest-paid players, Mohammed and Okafor, and adding Yao Ming to the team, the Bobcats' salary distribution is as follows: Yao Ming $2000 million, Williams $800 million, Rose $550 million, and the rest of the players earn less than $300 million each!
According to the league's current rules, each team's total offseason salary is the sum of the salaries of all players under contract, and for teams with fewer than 15 players, the minimum salary of $100 million is used.

In other words, if a team only has 12 players on the roster, then regardless of how much those 12 players earn, an additional $300 million needs to be added to the payroll to make up a 15-man roster.

This is called a virtual base salary.

The Bobcats can temporarily postpone signing Hayward, whose salary is $210 million for the new season, but instead sign two second-round rookies with salaries of less than $70 each. This would free up approximately $200 million in salary cap space.

After completing these moves, the Bobcats' total salary is now $5300 million!
Last season's NBA salary cap was $6200 million. Based on speculation and the situation in the past few years, this year's salary cap will most likely be around $6400 million, while the luxury tax threshold is around $7350 million.

This means that the Bobcats still have approximately $1100 million in salary cap space.

That's enough for Lin Tian to choose a very good power forward from the free agent market to join the team!
And this year's free market is huge!
Leaving aside other positions, just looking at the power forward position alone, there are several top-tier players, including Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Bosh, Darko Milicic, David West, David Lee, and Carlos Boozer, entering the free agent market.

Which of these guys should I choose? (End of Chapter)