Kings owner Ranadave and General Manager Divac promised Wang Yi that although Gallo and Paul had retired, they would strengthen the team's backcourt this summer.
They would find Wang Yi an excellent backcourt partner.
They also promised Wang Yi plenty of other benefits.
For example, if there was a player Wang Yi wanted, they would do everything they could to bring him in.
They also promised that Wang Yi would hold a very high standing on the team—in some ways, even higher than the head coach.
But Wang Yi still didn't agree right away.
So he told the owner and General Manager Divac, "This summer, I want to test the waters of free agency."
The Kings' owner and General Manager Divac were a little nervous, but neither was surprised.
Clearly, they had discussed this possibility well in advance, so owner Ranadave immediately replied:
"Wang, you can test the waters of free agency, but I want to make it clear that we'll offer you the maximum contract, no matter what. And if you stay with the Kings, the maximum contract you can get will be nearly $100 million more than what you'd get by signing with another team."
Wang Yi nodded. "I know all that. But let's wait until I've tested the free-agent market before we talk about it."
The Kings' owner and General Manager Divac had already expected Wang Yi to say this.
They hadn't hoped that a single visit would be enough to convince Wang Yi to stay.
They had only come to show him how serious they were.
Over the next two weeks, before July 1, they visited Wang Yi's home five more times.
That was a clear show of sincerity.
The owner even promised Wang Yi that if he signed with the team, his IT company would