The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 184 Transactions and Reinforcements

That night, before going to bed, Tang Bei took out two kidney-tonifying pills.

He's been secretly taking it for a while now, and it really works. He plans to continue taking it, but he can share it with his family.

"Wet Tiger, what is this?"

When Jia Bao first saw it, she went up and smelled it, but there was no smell at all.

"This is a kidney tonic. It was hard to get some. High-quality wild medicinal herbs are very rare now, and it will be difficult to get this kind of herb in the future," Tang Bei said, trying to deceive people.

"For kidney tonification?"

Jia Bao suddenly realized, and said with a strange look, "Wet Tiger, are your kidneys not good?"

Tang Bei laughed and said, "I'll tell you a secret, eating too much of this can have an anti-aging effect."

Jia Bao's eyes widened instantly. "Wet Tiger, don't lie to me. I'm not stupid."

Although she wasn't stupid, she was still quick, snatching Tang Bei's two kidney-tonifying pills at once.

Tang Bei flipped his hand and took out a box of 100 kidney-tonifying pills, saying, "This is yours. If I get more later, I'll give it to you."

"Really effective?" Jia Bao asked softly.

“Really, but you need to eat at least 1,500,” Tang Bei said.

“Wet Tiger…”

Jia Bao suddenly said in a spoiled tone, "I want more."

"Keep it a secret. You can't even tell your mother. This thing is too difficult to deal with, and it might never be available again," Tang Bei warned.

"Hmm."

On the 26th, Tang Bei took Jia Bao and her family back to their hometown.

The villa at home had already been built. Eric hired a designer from the United States to design it. It was very beautiful and stylish, completely different from the current architectural style in China.

The problem is that there isn't enough electricity. It can't even power a large TV, let alone an air conditioner, so Tang Bin bought two 5-kilowatt generators as backups.

Tang Ning, the fourth sister, has already been brought back. The little girl is now used to life at the sports school. After all, she has some money that Jia Bao secretly gave her. Jia Bao also donates a sum of money to the school every year. The principal and classmates treat her almost like royalty. She is truly the number one girl at Tianjing Sports School.

"Sister-in-law, I came in first place in the city competition last time. Pretty impressive, huh?" Tang Ning boasted as soon as she saw Jia Bao.

"Good boy, next time you'll be number one in the country," Jia Bao quickly encouraged.

"Yes," Tang Ning nodded.

At the Tang family home, the Nemurs and Garbo experienced firsthand what a lively atmosphere truly meant.

Since arriving at the Tang family, there have never been fewer than fifty people in the household; on many occasions, the house is packed with people inside and out.

"Mom and Dad, there are too many people at home. In a few days, you can take Grandpa and Grandma to stay in Beijing for a while."

"Isn't this lively? Our place is the liveliest in Huanghuadian."

"It's too crowded and inconvenient."

“You child, this is called saving face. If you weren’t capable, you wouldn’t even come home. You can’t look down on people.”

"How could that be? I still have to train, and Jia Bao and the others have things to do, so they can't stay at home for long periods of time."

"Okay, okay, we'll go in a few days. We'll have the second brother pick us up."

Miami Heat President of Basketball Operations Billy Cunningham has decided to prioritize the frontcourt, aiming to acquire All-Star power forward Danny Manning.

This 88 number one draft pick was traded to the Hawks after last year's All-Star game. Now that his contract has ended, the Hawks cannot meet his contract extension demands and he has announced that he has entered the free agent market.

If they can bring in this All-Star power forward and pair him with Tang Bei, the Heat's frontcourt duo will absolutely dominate the entire league.

Of course, he also knew that the Heat did not have the salary cap space to sign Danny Manning, because after contacting Manning's agent, the agent demanded a six-year, $42 million contract.

This opening is even smaller than Steve Smith's, which is actually not bad, but unfortunately the Heat have to extend Tang Bei's contract early next season, so they simply can't accommodate a contract like this.

The salary cap of around 1600 million can only accommodate one All-Star with an annual salary of six or seven million, and that All-Star can only be Tang Bei, not anyone else.

But he wanted to use the allure of the championship to lure Danny Manning, offering him a one-year, one-million-dollar short-term contract.

Unfortunately, Danny Manning now only wants a long-term, big contract and has no interest in winning a championship, so he directly rejected it.

After failing to acquire Danny Manning, the Heat's management set their sights on his teammate.

That day, Lewis Shaffer contacted the Hawks, wanting to trade Steve Smith and Grant Long for the Hawks' starting center Kevin Willis.

威利斯上赛季打了80场，场均35.8分钟，19.1分12篮板1.9助攻1抢断0.5盖帽，投篮命中率49.9%。

As a 213cm tall center, he can play two positions, and his scoring and rebounding are both good, but his shot-blocking ability is insufficient.

Previously, Willis was a traditional center, meaning his offensive area was concentrated in the low post and under the basket, but now he is transitioning to a modern center.

The so-called modern inside player is someone who develops mid-to-long-range shooting skills, increases their area of ​​activity and mobility, and is no longer confined to the paint.

The Heat valued him because Willis had developed a mid-range shot and low-post offensive ability, making him a good fit for Tang Bei. He is a stretch big man who can score in the low post.

His defensive stats are average; he can't guard top centers like O'Neal and Olajuwon one-on-one, but he's good at boxing out and defending, and his rebounding is excellent.

The Hawks' playoff loss triggered a strategic transformation and salary structure adjustment for the team, and also created a need to trade Kevin Willis.

In fact, the team's core player, Dominique Wilkins, was traded last season, and the Hawks are essentially in a rebuilding phase.

Willis has only one year left on his contract and has already asked the team to extend it early, with an annual salary of at least $300 million and a minimum three-year contract, which does not meet the Hawks' current demands.

Considering Willis will be a veteran of 33 years old next year and his contract will expire, the decision was made to trade him to avoid devaluing his contract.

The Heat's assets also fit the Hawks' requirements: Grant Long has a mid-range shot and even a three-pointer, while Steve Smith also fits the Hawks' requirements for outside shooting.

However, the Heat were trading away two key players from championship rosters in their prime for a veteran in his thirties, so they asked the Hawks to include their unprotected 96 first-round pick and their top-five protected 98 first-round pick.

The Hawks rejected this offer without hesitation, only agreeing to include the unprotected 96 first-round pick and one million dollars in cash.

After some consideration, the Heat sent a new trade offer to the Hawks, sending Steve Smith, Grant Long, Kevin Edwards, and the Heat's 94 first-round pick in exchange for Kevin Willis, the Hawks' unprotected 96 first-round pick, and the Hawks' top-three protected 98 first-round pick.

Edwards was the Heat's starting shooting guard in the regular season, which is equivalent to trading three key players from a championship team for a veteran in his thirties, plus two first-round picks.

After some consideration, the Eagles quickly agreed, and both parties agreed to complete the transaction once the trading window opened.

After staying at home for two or three days, on the 29th, Tang Bei took Jia Bao's family to Tianjing.

After touring Tangjia Electronics' office, Tang Bei and Jia Bao entered their own company's factory for the first time.

The Nemurs also joined the tour of Tangjia Electronics' factory, witnessing firsthand the spirit of hard work and dedication.

To maximize production capacity, we are currently operating on three shifts. Due to a temporary shortage of skilled workers and engineers, overtime is very common.

But almost no one resists working overtime, because the more overtime you work, the more you earn. Tangjia Electronics offers good benefits, including high overtime pay.

Mrs. Leslie asked, very puzzled, "In American factories, very few people are willing to work overtime, even if they are paid."

Why are Chinese workers, with such low wages—only 3% of what American workers earn—all willing to work overtime?

“Don, do they have social security?” Leo Nemur asked.

"No social security."

Tang Bei shook his head. Anyway, he had never heard of social security in China, and he didn't know if government-affiliated institutions had it.

“They don’t even have social security, which is incomprehensible, but this is a paradise for manufacturing, and our family is going to invest here,” Leo Nemur said excitedly.

I spent a day in Tianjing, and set off at around 8 a.m. the next day, taking the Beijing-Shenyang Expressway, and arrived in Beijing at around 9 a.m.

The two investment teams had already started working, and Tangjia Investment had also begun contacting relevant departments to inquire about policies related to investing in the retail industry.

The Leo Nemurs and their wife, along with Garbo, also got back to work. After staying here for a while, they would have to return to the United States to prepare for their wedding.

The men's basketball team will be heading to Yunnan in the next few days. Tang Bei will continue to rest and will rejoin the team for training after the team returns from Yunnan in late July.

At 11 a.m., Eric Fleischer called to inform me about the ongoing draft.

The Bucks selected Glenn Robinson at point guard in the first round, the Mavericks selected Jason Kidd at shooting guard, and the Pistons selected Grant Hill at small forward.

The Heat's first-round pick was the 22nd overall pick, which they traded to the Hawks. The pick now belongs to the Hawks, so the Heat don't have a first-round pick this year.

After discussing the talent show, Fleischer added, "Tang, there are a few good endorsements we can sign. They are all top domestic brands with significant influence. After signing them, we can film some commercials."

The international brands that Tang Bei endorses have invested a lot of money in advertising in China. His advertisements frequently appear on TV channels and in some popular dramas, and large promotional photos also appear on the streets and alleys of first- and second-tier cities.

Although the endorsement fees in China cannot compare with those of top international brands, they can increase Tang Bei's popularity and influence in China. Therefore, Eric Fleischer values ​​this highly and has been busy with this matter since coming to China.

After the draft, the league announced the salary cap for the new season at $1635 million. The trade window opened on July 1, and the trade freeze ended on July 7.

In other words, you can contact players after the 1st, but the trade contract can only be signed after the freeze period ends.

On July 1st, the men's basketball team departed for Yunnan.

That afternoon, after the trade was approved, the Heat and Hawks officially announced the trade involving four key players from both teams and three first-round draft picks.

This trade shocked the entire league.

"The Heat's immediate dismantling of their core roster after winning the championship will be detrimental to their title defense," the New York Times reported.

"The Heat's starting lineup is unstable, their competitiveness will decline in the new season, and Tang Bei, who suffers from severe fear, may leave the Heat to seek new development," TNT reported.

Immediately, a flood of news reports emerged, causing widespread anxiety among Miami fans.

Tang Bei received the details of the deal in advance, and he now has a copy of the current lineup.

There are only seven players in total. There is no shortage of players at the center position. Matt Geiger will be his first backup. Kevin Willis can also play the center position, but it would be best to find another big man who can play both the four and five positions, mainly as a backup for the power forward position.

They are short of players at all positions, from point guard to power forward. He has already asked Eric Fleischer to contact the management and ask them to find players as soon as possible so that he can defend his title in the new season.

In the new season, he will compete for MVP, All-NBA First Team, and DPOY, honors he hasn't yet achieved, so the treasure chest will definitely reward him.

Then you have to defend your title. I don't know if there will be a reward for it, but I'll give it a shot. Defending your title is very difficult, but what if there is?

After the finals, Billy Cunningham and Lewis Shaffer met with Eric Fleischer and learned about Tang Bei's demands, which put a lot of pressure on them.

Lewis Shaffer asked, "Billy, Cobra Grant's contract has ended. Should we bring him in as a backup? He can play both power forward and center."

Billy Cunningham shook his head and said, "He won two championships with the Bulls. We can't offer a big contract to a backup player. It probably won't attract him. The Magic probably won't let him go either."

Lewis Shaffer nodded and continued to consider the others.

At this moment, Cunningham's assistant, Soros Wellster, entered and said:
"Mr. President Cunningham, Mr. General Manager Shaffer, good news! We've just received two offers to join us." Shaffer said with a smile, "Our championship appeal is finally showing. I thought it had no appeal at all."

Cunningham chuckled and asked, "Soros, which two?"

“One is small forward Dominique Wilkins, and the other is guard Brian Shaw; they are both free agents,” Wellster said.

"Wilkins?" The two were taken aback.

Wellster then said, "Gentlemen, Wilkins played half a season each for the Hawks and Clippers last season, averaging 26 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, with a field goal percentage of 44%."

Billy Cunningham considered, "The Human Highlight Film is an underrated superstar, but his performance is inconsistent, so he won't go far in the playoffs."

Lewis Shaffer said, "Moreover, this small forward's defense is poor; he hardly participates in defense, which doesn't fit our expectations for a small forward."

Billy Cunningham nodded and said, "Glen Rice can play shooting guard, but his perimeter defense is too poor when he's paired with Wilkins."

“The defense at the shooting guard position can only be strengthened, not weakened, unless he is willing to accept a substitute role,” Lewis Shaffer said.

“I’ll contact him again,” Wells said.

“Wait a minute, Wilkins is a $100 million annual salary as a substitute, and Brian Shaw, even if he wants to come back, can only be a substitute, with a $60 annual salary. You can contact them for that as well,” Cunningham said.

“OK,” Wellster said.

Soon it was reported that Wilkins would not accept a substitute role, while Brian Shaw would accept a $60 annual salary to play as a substitute.

With Brian Shaw confirmed as a combo guard, the Heat now have four guards, but are still missing a starting shooting guard.

The starting shooting guard doesn't necessarily need to be the most offensively capable, because even without Steve Smith, the Heat still have plenty of offensive options.

Glen Rice's scoring ability has never been fully realized; he only averaged 17 points per game last season.

Now that Steve Smith is gone, the reduced offense at the shooting guard position can be given to Kevin Willis and Lyren Rice.

On the perimeter defense, Glen Rice's defense is average. Since the starting shooting guard is not required to have the offensive ability, his defense must be good, positioning him as a role player.

This also fits the Heat's salary cap requirements, since they can't sign good shooting guards.

However, this shooting guard should ideally have spot-up shooting and three-point shooting skills, as well as fast break finishing ability. He doesn't need to have independent offensive ability; 8 to 12 points per game is enough.

Just then, Soros Wellster suddenly rushed in and said, "Gentlemen, the Warriors' number one draft pick, Chris Webber, has suddenly announced that he is entering free agency."

"what?"

Cunningham and Shaffer were truly stunned this time.

After drafting Chris Webber last year, the Warriors have been extremely protective of him, offering him a 15-year, $7400 million super contract.

"madness!"

Cunningham shook his head. The Warriors' biggest mistake wasn't signing a long-term contract, but giving Webber a player option in the second year. That was the most fatal mistake.

"Also, the Timberwolves' Alonzo Mourning has formally requested a trade from management," Soros Wellster added.

This news wasn't particularly surprising. Last time, Mourning publicly criticized the management for tanking and lacking ambition, and expressed his desire to leave the Timberwolves.

Lewis Shaffer picked up a piece of paper and looked at it; it showed the salary structure of all the players currently under contract.

Tang Bei 400 million, Kevin Willis 298 million, Glen Rice 260 million, Avery Johnson 85, Harold Mina 146 million, Brian Shaw 60, and Dell Curry 150 million.

The seven players combined have already reached $1399 million, while the salary cap for the new season is only $1635 million, and Matt Geiger is waiting to re-sign with the Early Bird exception.

With a total of $236 million left, they need to sign at least four more players, with an average annual salary of $500,000 to $600,000, so they can only sign role players.

For the starting shooting guard position, he considered Dan Mali of the Suns, and there should be a possibility of a trade, but Mali's salary next season is three million dollars, which is too high for the Heat.

“Lewis, what do you think of Kendall Gill?” he asked.

Lewis Shaffer, after reviewing the data, said, "He played one season with the SuperSonics as the starting shooting guard, but his stats didn't live up to expectations. He was just the SuperSonics' fifth scoring option, and the SuperSonics might not keep him after his contract expires."

He still has one season left on his contract, a $260 million contract, which is a bit high. We could use the Hawks' first-round pick as trade bait, but we don't have the cap space.

Cunningham shook his head regretfully and said, "Kendall Gill's perimeter defense is very good, but his three-point shooting is average. However, he has a strong ability to create his own offense, which is much higher than what we expect from our starting shooting guard. If he had more space, that would be great."

Shaffer analyzed, "He was the 5th overall pick in the 90 draft, and he's 26 years old. I'm afraid the Hawks can't trade him for one of their first-round picks."

Cunningham said, "The Heat's only task for the next few seasons is to win the championship. We don't need draft picks."

These two draft picks, along with our own, can all be used as trade bait to acquire immediate contributors and strengthen our roster.

Lewis Shaffer thought for a moment and said with great difficulty, "Only by using Harold Miner as a trade bait can we free up $146 million."

But if the deal goes through, there's only $122 million left, which, excluding Matt Geiger, is still manageable.

Billy Cunningham took the roster and looked at it. If they traded Kendall Gill and added Matt Geiger, the key rotation would be eight players.

With the remaining millions of dollars in cap space, we could consider attracting one or two veterans on minimum contracts, or finding two decent role players – both would be good options.

He pulled out the SuperSonics' player roster, glanced at it, and then made up his mind, saying:

"Make an offer, get Kendall Gill in first. If the Supersonics won't sell, then make an offer for Nate McMillan."

Nate's annual salary is only one million, which is actually a better fit, but he's the leader of the SuperSonics' locker room, making him potentially harder to trade.

"OK."

Lewis Shaffer also wanted Kendall Gill.

Nate McMillan is a defensive stalwart on the backcourt, with average three-point shooting, similar to Gil's level. He fits the Heat's previous criteria for a starting shooting guard and is a good choice.

The offer was sent to the SuperSonics, with the Hawks offering their top-three protected 98 first-round pick plus Harold Miner in exchange for Kendall Gill.

This price quote still appealed to Supersonics.

Kendall Gill is an important starting shooting guard, but he's not untouchable by the SuperSonics, and he only has one year left on his contract.

Nate McMillan was the starting shooting guard before, but trading for Gill will allow McMillan to take over the starting position.

Furthermore, Kendall Gill's three-point shooting is mediocre, at only 31.7% last season, which is too low and does not meet the needs of the SuperSonics.

In addition, the SuperSonics currently prioritize defense, and Gil's defense is not as good as Nate McMillan's. Their positions overlap somewhat, resulting in tactical redundancy and reduced tactical value.

What's more troublesome is that Kendall Gill is dissatisfied with his position on the team, feeling that he doesn't get enough playing time and his tactical role doesn't meet his expectations.

Kendall Gill wants to play a style of play that involves one-on-one play, but head coach George Karl wants him to play off-ball and shoot from the outside, which has now created a conflict.

While the offer was tempting for the SuperSonics, their current goal is to win the championship. If they were to trade for Kendall Gill, they would definitely need to acquire a player with good three-point shooting ability, and Harold Miner doesn't have that.

“Billy, the SuperSonics rejected it; they want the Hawks’ unprotected 96 first-round pick,” Lewis Shaffer said.

"No."

Billy Cunningham analyzed, "They're probably interested in our offer and don't want Kendall Gill anymore."

“Perhaps they’re just trying to wear us down so we can increase our stakes,” Shafir nodded.

"Send over the second offer first, and tell them we don't want Kendall Gill anymore."

As planned, the Heat issued another offer, this time with the same assets, but in exchange for Nate McMillan.

They could have used the Hawks' first-round pick as trade bait, but the Heat needed to free up salary cap space for Harold Miner, so they had to trade him.

The SuperSonics' management is currently considering the team's situation in the Western Conference and its future.

The Western Conference is now a battleground for rising stars, with teams like the Rockets, Suns, Spurs, and Jazz all having the potential to contend for the NBA Finals.

The SuperSonics now want to contend for the championship with this roster, but they also need to consider the future. Stockpiling future draft picks is a necessary preparation.

However, upon receiving the second quote, he rejected it without hesitation.

Simply put, locker room leader Nate McMillan is more important to the SuperSonics than Kendall Gill.

Although they rejected the Heat's second offer, the SuperSonics contacted the Heat proactively, indicating that they would consider the first offer.

The Heat added a million dollars in cash, and the SuperSonics agreed.

Thus, the Heat traded Harold Mina, a 98 Hawks first-round pick protected by the top three, and $100 million in cash for Kendall Gill.

Lewis Shaffer said, "Not counting Matt Geiger, the seven players now have $1513 million in contracts, and $122 million is still to come."

"Mr. President, Mr. General Manager, this is the list of freelance job seekers we just received."

At that moment, Soros Wellster came in again and handed over a list.

Billy Cunningham took the list and saw that the first player was Keith Askins, a former Heat swingman and undrafted player.

Their offensive efficiency is poor, they lack three-point shooting, and their defense is also weak, but their rebounding is decent. The main advantage is their low price, because they don't have many opportunities to play and therefore don't have salary requirements.

That's perfect, right now we only have Glen Rice at the small forward position, and we don't have a substitute.

“Soros, get in touch with them. They offer veterans a one-year contract with a base salary of $30. We don’t have any cap space left,” he said after thinking it over.

“OK, I’ll contact them right away,” Wellster said.

Lewis Shaffer also looked at the list. The second player was guard Kevin Jamber, who had no defense, inconsistent shooting, but could drive to the basket, and didn't ask for a high salary.

"The same goes for this one, veteran's base salary," he said.

Soon, the two free agents were secured, both on minimum contracts of $30.

Then they found another center on the free agent market, Brad Roth, a 211cm tall, 30-year-old veteran who can play the power forward and center positions. He signed him for one year. He had previously earned a million-dollar salary for two years, but now he only needs $33.

They also signed a swingman, Lydell Ekels, who was out of work, to a minimum salary of $15.

After signing these four players, the total salary reached $1621 million, leaving only $14.

Soon after, the Heat signed Matt Geiger to a four-year, $589 million Early Bird contract, with a starting salary of $1.4 million per year for the new season.

Thus, the Heat have a total of twelve players with a total salary of $1761 million.

There is no other space to sign the full 15-man roster. However, if there are serious injuries or illnesses, the injury exception can be used to find temporary replacements.

Lewis Shaffer, holding the player roster, said, "Avery Johnson has two years left on his contract, Glen Rice has three years left, and they'll definitely need bigger contracts to keep them when they expire."

Billy Cunningham said, "The most important thing is to renew Tang Bei's contract early next year. By then, he will have met the requirements of the Bird Agreement. I don't know how big a contract the boss is willing to offer."

"Our boss, well, he's not exactly generous, but he's still alright. He can definitely offer Tang a big contract," Lewis Shaffer said with a smile.

Cunningham nodded and said, "Anyway, for the next two seasons, this core lineup of center, small forward, and point guard will be stable."

(End of this chapter)