Let's keep in touch

"First, any commercial activities or endorsements will only be carried out after obtaining your consent. I can only advise."

"Second, before you sign a guaranteed contract, I won't take a single cent in commission from the contract, nor will I drag you to any time-wasting commercial events."

"Third, make staying in the NBA your primary goal. I'll do everything in my power to find you an NBA team—one that has a real chance of offering a guaranteed contract."

Inside a coffee shop, Jeff Austin was explaining the contract terms to Link one by one. Though he hated to admit it, the truth was that almost every clause in the contract favored Link.

This three-year management contract was far more generous than the one Carl Jones had tried to trick Link into signing back then. Jeff Austin's compensation was even less than Carl Jones had demanded. After Link signed a guaranteed contract, Jeff Austin would take only a 3% cut. For commercial activities and endorsements, his cut was just 15%.

Compared to Carl Jones's 5% and 20%, these two points were a steal. Don't underestimate the difference—in the world of professional basketball, where sums ranged from millions to tens of millions, even a few percentage points added up to terrifying amounts.

"So," Link picked up the contract and examined it closely, "I have no reason to turn you down."

"Of course you do—unless a more famous or better agent comes knocking. But as far as I know, no one else has spotted your potential yet. They think you'll last at most three years in the NBA before packing your bags and heading home."

"Oh?" This was the first Link had heard of such a notion. "And what makes you think I can survive in the NBA for more than three years?"

"First, you're low-key and hardworking. Second, you're focused enough. Third, your potential doesn't match your age. People think that after playing four years in college, you've got nothing left to develop. But I believe you just lack quality resources and environment. Fresno State is just an NCAA Division II team, and the Blue Team is nothing but an obscure G League squad. Once you have the best training environment and resources, I'm confident you'll survive in the NBA for the long haul."

After hearing Jeff Austin out, Link couldn't help but feel some admiration. As everyone knew, Grant Hill was never going to be out of work in the NBA—he played until he was 40 and retired on his own terms. But Link wasn't Hill; others might not see the residual potential in him.

Jeff Austin, however, was different. He loved betting on players with room to grow. Take, for instance, that guy who was once too fat to look like a professional athlete—Marc Gasol—or Antetokounmpo, who was still messing around in the Greek second-division youth team.

Link asked no more questions. He picked up a pen and signed his name on the contract handed to him by an agent for the second time.

Hopefully, this time, the ending wouldn't be as screwed up as last time.

※※※

This afternoon's Blue Team training had a very special segment—a fan visitation period.

This segment was actually modeled after the NBA's media availability period. During training, there was a window when fans could come in to watch and interact with the players. Of course, all of this came with an entry fee. For just 50 dollars, fans could get up close and personal with professional players.

Don't think this was over the top. As a G League team without NBA team support, the Blue Team had to find every way to accumulate wealth. Fan visitation periods were a money-making tactic many teams used, not just the Blue Team.

Although it was essentially a commercial activity, Link didn't mind it. The fans willing to pay to watch the players train had genuine love for the Blue Team's guys. In their eyes, the players were heroes, not clowns.

Link was undoubtedly the most popular person this afternoon, drawing the most fans asking for autographs and photos. After all, this kid had not only played in the NBA but had just broken the G League's single-game individual scoring record.

Even though few people in Oklahoma watched the Blue Team's games, Link still felt the fans' enthusiasm.

At the end of the visitation period, Link signed an autograph for a little boy. The boy's father believed that Link would one day make a name for himself in the NBA, so he told his son to treasure the signature.

After the signing, Link thought the fan interaction was over. But unexpectedly, someone handed him an Upshaw #0 jersey.

"Sign this for me."

Hearing a girl's voice, Link looked up in surprise. And when he raised his head, he was even more stunned.

The female fan standing before him—Link had met her before. Actually, before he'd crossed over, every time he played NBA 2K, he'd seen her on 2KTV.

That's right, the person asking for Link's autograph now was Rachel DeMita.

"Rachel? Didn't expect you to come." Link smiled. After all, last time they'd met, they hadn't exchanged contact info, and they both had their own things to do. Link thought he wouldn't see this vibrant girl again until they'd both made a name for themselves.

He never imagined he'd run into her at his daily training ground.

"Came for you. Great game last time, Link. Just got dumped by the Rockets, and you drop 52 points on their affiliate team. Gotta say, you impressed me." Rachel's smile was sweet, and she had a way of closing the distance between people without even trying.

"Get up where you fall down, right? What about you? How've you been?" Link chatted with Rachel as he signed.

"Same old, same old—bored out of my mind. By the way, do you have another shot at the NBA? Your three games with the Rockets were actually pretty decent. It'd be a shame if you got shut out of the NBA just like that."

Looking at Rachel, who was staring at him with wide eyes, Link remembered Jeff Austin's words. He'd said Link might not even need to go with the team to Texas for the away game tomorrow. That meant, before tomorrow night, Jeff Austin could find Link a home in the NBA.

Link had plenty of confidence in an agent of Jeff Austin's caliber, so he nodded confidently. "I think I'll make it back to the NBA. Just not in Houston, that's for sure. What's with the interest in a G League player's fate?"

"I..." Rachel opened her mouth but hesitated. "Nothing, just curious. Hey, big star, how about leaving your phone number on the jersey too."

"Ah!?" Link was startled. Counting his life before the crossover, this was the first time in his "two lifetimes" a girl had asked for his number.

"That way, when you make it to the NBA, I can congratulate you in person."

"Oh..." Link silently wrote down the number. Friends exchanging numbers—that was normal, right?

"Ma'am, the activity time is over. I'm afraid you'll have to come back another time."

As soon as Link finished writing, a court security guard came to urge Rachel to leave.

After she walked out of the training facility, the rest of the Blue Team crept over to Link with sly grins.

"What are they, a bunch of kids? Just because Link was more popular today? Look at them, green with envy." Watching Link getting "roughed up" by his teammates on the court, the Blue Team's assistant coach shook his head.

"It's not about popularity, buddy. Link's the only one among them who's got a female fan, hahahaha." Conner burst out laughing. That kid was really starting to look like a star.

※※※

After signing with Link, Jeff Austin immediately got to work on getting Link into the NBA.

In fact, even before signing Link, he'd already had several target teams in mind. Otherwise, he wouldn't have told Link he could make him an NBA player in such a short time.

Houston Rockets? Only a fool like Carl Jones would push Link toward Houston. Besides hype, what could Houston give Link?

Golden State Warriors? Come on, the Bay Area had the largest Chinese population in the U.S., so it was obvious what the Warriors wanted Link for. Link was there to play ball, not be a clown. So, the Warriors were out too.

Dallas Mavericks weren't a bad choice, but Jeff Austin worried that Mavericks head coach Carlisle didn't trust rookies.

After ruling out these few teams interested in Link, he was left with only two options.

One is the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the other is the Memphis Grizzlies.

There's no need to say much about the Cavaliers—since James left, the team has been full of opportunities. But at the same time, James's departure has stripped the Cavaliers of nearly all their market presence and attention. If Link were sent to Cleveland, within a month he'd be forgotten.

Finally, Jeff Austin dialed a number. He had a close relationship with this person—after all, Marc Gasol was Jeff Austin's client. So he had worked with the man on the other end of the line before.

"Hello? Jeff? What's up this late?"

"Hey, Wallace. You might not know this yet, but I'm now Link's agent. I hear you guys are in desperate need of a capable small forward. So, when should we discuss a ten-day contract?"

Jeff Austin's confidence ran straight through—he didn't ask if the other side needed Link; he directly asked when they'd sign the contract.

After all, Austin knew full well that the Memphis Grizzlies had no reason to turn Link down.