LeBron James, your house got robbed.

On December 9th, the first day of the free agency period, all teams were busy.

After all, compared to the usual three-month off-season, this year the management of each team only has a short two-week break.

After the lockout ended, the league went all out to try to restart the season as quickly as possible.

The league office directly scheduled the opening game for Christmas Eve. The double hype of the opening game and the Christmas Day game completely ignited the sports world and officially announced the start of the new season.

Along with the team's management, reporters and writers from various newspapers and media outlets were also busy, finally able to release the pent-up frustration of the past three months.

Rumors of a deal being signed spread like wildfire.

Tracy McGrady signed a minimum contract with the Atlanta Hawks.

Caron Butler joins the Los Angeles Clippers.

"..."

Among them, the most eye-catching news is the Heat's recruitment efforts.

After the Finals loss, a barrage of rumors and attacks were unleashed against the Heat's Big Three, and everyone was watching what was happening in Miami.

ESPN's renowned reporter Brian Windhorst has reported details of Battier's impending move to the Heat.

According to the report, the Heat have convinced the veteran to join them on a $300 million non-full mid-level exception contract.

……

Cleveland, Ohio

The Cavaliers also started working on the first day.

Chen Shuo immediately targeted Baron Davis.

Using the amnesty clause in the new collective bargaining agreement, they cut Davis's massive $1400 million contract.

Under the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), each team has one amnesty right during the term of the agreement.

Players who are granted amnesty become free agents and will no longer occupy salary cap space on their teams.

Of course, the salary stipulated in the contract still needs to be paid.

Chen Shuo was calculating the team's salary cap space.

After clearing out Davis for $1400 million, the team's total salary is $3393 million, leaving them with more than $5800 million in cap space before reaching the $2400 million salary cap.

The team has enough cap space to sign a max-contract player and still have some room to add reliable rotation pieces.

As for the candidates, Chen Shuo had already made his selections.

Chen Shuo looked up at the time. If everything went smoothly, Grant should already be at the other party's house.

In order to strengthen the team, Chen Shuo temporarily put the signing of the team's rookies on hold.

After all, they were all able to sign players above the salary cap as rookie exceptions.

To make the most of available space, players who can be signed through special exceptions should be reserved for later signings.

The Cavaliers held a press conference at Quicken Loans Arena that same day to announce their decision to waive Baron Davis.

When asked by reporters, Chen Shuo clearly stated that the team's next step will be to use the more than 2000 million yuan in cap space to further strengthen the team, and it is expected to sign a player with a maximum or near-maximum salary.

Of course, Chen Shuo did not intend to tell these reporters any specific information before things were confirmed.

When asked about the information, a reporter mentioned Battier's story.

"The Heat are set to sign Shane Battier. What are your thoughts on their roster improvement?"

Thanks to Chen Shuo's tireless efforts, the conflict between the Cavaliers and James, and even the Heat, has become the biggest grudge match of the year, and reporters naturally want to hear some news worth writing about.

Chen Shuo was not surprised at all by Battier's move.

The collective bargaining agreement introduced in 11 is more stringent than in the past, and for a team like the Heat with a salary of $8000 million, there are many restrictions and constraints that make it difficult to implement.

Not only did it introduce the concept of a tiered luxury tax on top of the existing luxury tax, but it also imposed restrictions on the use of special cases.

Teams that do not exceed the luxury tax threshold are allowed a full $500 million mid-level exception to make reinforcements above the salary cap.

For teams like the Heat and Lakers that exceed the tax threshold, they can only use the $300 million non-full mid-level exception.

In retrospect, Battier was the Heat's best, or even only, choice, proving Riley's keen eye for talent.

今年33岁的巴蒂尔，上赛季场均贡献7.6分4.7板0.8断1.0帽，就数据而言也就是底薪球员的水平。

But Battier's defensive impact, as well as his rich experience and on-field intelligence, cannot be measured by statistics.

These veterans, who perform at their best in crucial games, are the kind of puzzle that any championship-contending team dreams of having.

In the original timeline, Battier played an indispensable role in the Heat winning two championships.

When faced with reporters' questions, Chen Shuo first praised the veteran in various ways, then changed the subject:

"A young team like ours needs veterans like this, and the team will do its best to reach out to Battier."

The reporter was taken aback, then asked:

"But according to ESPN, Battier has already made a verbal commitment to the Heat."

Chen Shuo said indifferently:

"Remember, all signings and trades should be based on official announcements from the NBA and the teams."

After finishing his speech, Chen Shuo turned and left, ending the press conference.

Reporters frantically pressed their shutters, the flashes illuminating Chen Shuo's departing figure.

As soon as the press conference ended, news that the Cavaliers wanted to snatch Battier from the team quickly spread throughout the sports world.

A reporter from The New York Times quickly analyzed the situation, suggesting it was a retaliatory attack by the Cavaliers against LeBron James.

In a villa by the beach on the south coast, James, furious, spread his hands and demanded:

"Does he think he owns the NBA?"

Since leaving the Cavaliers, he has been targeted by Chen Shuo, and now he is even interfering in the Heat's roster improvements.

Battier is the only suitable player in the free agent market.

Riley could see this, and so could James; he firmly believed in his eye for choosing teammates.

Riley even took the risk of contacting Battier before the free market opened.

What was thought to be a sure thing has now changed due to Chen Shuo's unexpected actions.

James couldn't imagine what would have happened without reinforcements.

The pressure after losing the finals is immense.

If forming a Big Three still can't win a championship, then my career evaluation as a player will be completely ruined, and I will be nailed to the pillar of historical shame.

He has nowhere left to retreat; behind him lies an abyss.

James turned to look at Riley, trying to find some hope.

Riley, with his hair neatly slicked back, sat calmly on the sofa, casually twirling the championship ring on his hand.

"LeBron, you need to calm down. Battier came for a championship, and that's something they can't offer."

Seeing the ring on Riley's hand, James slowly calmed down.

……

Houston, a villa area located on the shores of Lake Windsor.

Chen Shuo held up his phone and showed Battier the training results of the team's rookies.

Battier watched very carefully, maintaining a rigorous attitude, and communicated and chatted with Chen Shuo in a relaxed manner.

This meeting with Chen Shuo was mainly due to the recommendation of my old teammate Yao.

But Battier has always been a patient person. Even though he was already planning to join the Heat, it didn't stop him from staying here with Chen Shuo to discuss the Cavaliers' rookies.

Chen Shuo put his phone away and looked at Battier, saying:

"Sean, we have many young and excellent players."

Battier agrees with this. With his basketball IQ, he can see that the Cavaliers' rookies not only have remarkable talent, but also a maturity beyond their years.

He had heard about the Cavaliers' summer training camp, and now it was clear that the man in front of him deserved much of the credit.

Their foresight and preparations before the league's shutdown are commendable.

However, Chen Shuo's next words left Battier speechless for a moment.

"Sean, join us."

"We need veterans like you to protect the team on the road to the championship."

Out of consideration for his former teammate, Battier didn't want to directly expose the truth, so he fell into a brief silence.

Yao Ming, standing to the side, knew what Battier was thinking. To be honest, he didn't think the Cavaliers had anything to do with the word "championship."

In his opinion, Chen Shuo was being too hasty in his recruitment efforts.

Just as Yao Ming was about to smooth things over, he heard Chen Shuo's voice:

"Sean, believe me, you'll love the Cleveland fans."

"We've prepared a four-year, $25 million contract for you, and you'll become one of these fans' favorite players."

A 4-year, 2500 million contract!

Even Yao Ming was a bit confused. Battier did have an influence that went beyond his stats, but he couldn't get a $600 million offer from any team.

Moreover, this is a four-year contract, which is obviously attractive to veterans.

Of course, Chen Shuo had a different story in mind.

His system gave him the task: [Prevent LeBron James from winning the championship before the Cavaliers win it].

Putting aside the question of whether there is a penalty for failing the mission, just looking at the reward items given last time, Chen Shuo must complete the next mission.

Therefore, acquiring Battier is a double benefit, both weakening the Heat's strength and increasing our own.

After hearing the contract, Battier thought for a moment and then stopped being pretentious.

He did have the idea of ​​pursuing a championship at the end of his career and was willing to sacrifice some financial benefits, but that wasn't all.

For a player of his age, who could be injured and forced to leave basketball at any time, this was undoubtedly his last contract.

The contract offered by the Heat, although only three million dollars, is a three-year contract, which is a good guarantee for the veteran.

That's what moved me.

However, Chen Shuo's offer was a full $1600 million more than the Heat's.

This made Battier realize that the championship wasn't actually that important to him.

A solid contract is what role players should be aiming for.