He looked at everyone present, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"First, maximize Karl Malone's trade value. Starting from training camp, Phil, I need you to design more low-post isolation plays for Karl. We need him to put up impressive numbers and let the entire league see that this thirty-six-year-old veteran is still one of the most dominant power forwards in the league. The better his numbers look, the more leverage we'll have at the negotiating table."
Phil Jackson nodded in understanding. For a Tactical Master like him, this was no difficult task.
"Second," Krause said, shifting his gaze to the team's head scout, "we need to prepare for the future. Once Malone is traded, we'll need someone to fill the power forward spot. Toni Kukoč—I need you to focus on scouting and developing him."
Toni Kukoč, the gifted player from Croatia, had always been the Chicago Bulls' most dependable jack-of-all-trades on the front line.
He had starting-caliber ability, but with Malone's arrival, he would be pushed to the bench in the new season.
"Phil, during the rotation, I want you to give Toni more touches and a bigger role in the offense."
Krause continued, "Let him run more offense with the ball and make him the tactical core of our second unit. We need him ready so that once Karl leaves, he can immediately step in as an important scoring option beside Michael. This is both about developing him and showing other teams the depth of our roster, giving us more confidence in trade negotiations."
Krause's plan was clear and ruthless, filled with a businessman's shrewd calculations.
He viewed Karl Malone as a commodity waiting to be sold—on one hand, he wanted Malone to put up dazzling numbers to raise his "price," while on the other, he was