The president's office at the New Garden in Boston.
It has been a week since the Los Angeles Lakers publicly announced that they had listened to Kobe's offer.
During this week, the entire league's transfer market seemed to have fallen into a strange standstill. The free agency market in the summer of 2000 was originally full of undercurrents, but at this moment, almost all team general managers slowed down their operations and focused their attention on Los Angeles. All sorts of rumors, some true and some false, flew around in major sports media across the United States, and even Wall Street betting companies opened odds on Kobe's next team.
But Lin Qi knew very well that a superstar trade of this caliber could not be achieved in a short time through a simple exchange between the two parties. The game of bargaining chips, the balancing of salary caps, and Jerry Buss's business acumen of never wanting to suffer a loss meant that this was destined to be an extremely complex and protracted tug-of-war among multiple parties.
Until one early August morning, this unresolved case across the entire league was finally brought to a shocking conclusion in a way that no one had anticipated.
"Lin, breaking news from ESPN!"
The assistant pushed open the office door, speaking rapidly, his breathing quickened by shock. He immediately picked up the remote and turned on the wall-mounted television opposite Lin Qi's desk.
On the television screen, ESPN's star insider reporter David LaMarcus Aldridge stood solemnly outside the Staples Center. Below the screen, a striking red banner reading "Breaking News" scrolled continuously.
[Breaking News: Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns complete a stunning three-way trade!]
Lin Qi put down his pen, focused his gaze on the transaction details chart that popped up on the TV screen.
This is a major trade involving the core assets of three teams, one that could completely reshape the league's landscape for the next decade.
The Los Angeles Lakers acquired: Jason Kidd (from the Suns ) and Sean Marion (from the Suns ).
The Chicago Bulls acquired: Kobe Brian (from the Lakers ).
The Phoenix Suns acquired Tracy McGrady (from the Chicago Bulls ).
A brief silence fell over the entire office, broken only by the slightly excited voice of the commentator on the television.
"Unbelievable..." The assistant swallowed hard as he looked at the list. " The Lakers not only traded away Kobe, but the Chicago Bulls even gave up McGrady? Suns actually traded away Kidd when he was in his prime?"
Lin Qi remained silent, leaning back in his chair, his mind racing as he analyzed the management maneuvering and the star player's personality behind this three-way trade. After a moment, a knowing smile appeared in his eyes.
" Mitch Kupchak hasn't done too badly since taking over," Lin Qi said, picking up his black coffee. "Or rather, there was too much Phil Jackson interference in this deal."
"Did the Lakers make a profit?" the assistant asked instinctively.
"From a talent ceiling perspective, they lost out. They lost a core perimeter player with an extremely high ceiling who could have been used for over a decade. But from the perspective of current tactical fit and locker room management, they acquired the perfect piece of the puzzle."
Lin Qi astutely saw through the Lakers ' calculations. "Look closely at the players the Lakers acquired. Jason Kidd, the traditional point guard with the widest vision of this era. He doesn't need to obsessively demand the ball and attempt twenty isolation plays every game like Kobe; his first instinct is always to pass. Placing Kidd alongside O'Neal not only streamlines the Lakers ' offensive rotation, but more importantly, Kidd's consistently All-Defensive First Team selections in both one-on-one and help defense perfectly compensate for the Lakers' most fatal weakness at the point guard position."
"And Sean Marion, this underrated forward, is exactly the kind of blue-collar player Phil Jackson desperately needs. Top-notch off-ball movement, a keen sense for rebounds, and most importantly—he doesn't need the ball."
" Kidd orchestrates the offense, Marion handles the sweeping and rebounding. Neither of them demands a shot; they'll willingly cooperate with O'Neal's absolute dominance in the low post," Lin Qi summarized. " Phil Jackson gets a completely obedient half-court lineup. And O'Neal gets a quiet locker room where he no longer has to fight for control."
But what really intrigued Lin Qi about this trade wasn't Los Angeles ' desperate attempt to survive, but rather the scheming and manipulative intentions of the other two teams.
"As for the Suns..." Lin Qi shook his head slightly, his tone revealing a thorough understanding of the league's inner workings, "Don't think they traded Kidd just for basketball reasons. Throughout the offseason, the Phoenix front office was nearly driven crazy by Kidd's off-court troubles."
The assistant paused for a moment, then asked, "You mean Kidd's locker room problem?"
" Kidd is undoubtedly a passing maestro, but his desire for control is too strong. He not only tries to control everything in the locker room, but also repeatedly oversteps his authority to interfere with the coaching staff's decisions. Coupled with his increasingly uncontrollable off-court life... alcoholism, volatile temper, and escalating family disputes, these potential public relations bombs have made the Suns' management lose patience."
Lin Qi pointed to McGrady on the TV screen. "They'd rather take McGrady than a troublesome point guard who could ignite a scandal at any moment. Tracy may be easygoing, even a bit lazy, but he's well-behaved. The Suns need a new icon who can sell tickets, has explosive scoring ability, and won't cause trouble for management off the court."
"What about the Chicago Bulls?" the assistant asked, even more puzzled. "Why would Jerry Krause go to such lengths to trade away McGrady, who was relatively easy to manage, just to get Kobe, who just lost his way in the NBA Finals and has an extremely stubborn personality?"
"Because for Jerry Krause, this was never a simple basketball math problem; it was an internal revenge about dignity."
Lin Qi tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, revealing the long-standing grudge hidden behind the deal.
" Jerry Krause spent his entire life trying to prove to the outside world that the Chicago Bulls ' two three-peats were due to the management system he built, not Jordan and Phil Jackson. Now, Phil Jackson has just kicked Kobe out of Los Angeles. Jerry Krause brought this young man, the most Jordan- like player in the entire league, back to the United Center. He not only wants to prove to Phil Jackson, but also to the entire city of Chicago, and even to the entire league... that he, Jerry Krause, personally found the next ' Jordan ' for this city."
"And what about Kobe?" the assistant asked, even more puzzled. " Jerry Krause wants to prove he understands, but why would Kobe want to go to Chicago? With his ambition, why would he willingly go to a Chicago Bulls that's been rebuilding from scratch?"
"Because for Kobe, going to Chicago was never an 'exile,' but rather his 'sacred place.'"
Lin Qi tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, coldly and precisely dissecting the young man's psychology.
"The entire league knows how much Kobe secretly desires to become, or even surpass, Michael Jordan. He watches videos and imitates Jordan 'Jordan footwork and fadeaway jumper, but what he most urgently wants to prove now is that he can win a championship as the absolute leader of a team, just like Jordan, instead of being a slightly better 'O'Neal Pippen ' alongside Shaq."
Lin Qi paused for a moment, then pointed out Kobe's fatal flaw.
"Staying in Los Angeles meant that if they won, the biggest credit would always go to Shaq. If they lost, he would be the culprit who ruined the system. This situation of being used as a 'supporting role' had long since pushed his patience to the limit. Going to Chicago would be completely different."
Lin Qi turned to look at Kobe's picture on the TV screen.
"Wearing that red Chicago Bulls jersey, standing on the floor of the United Center, seeing that retired number 23 jersey on the dome every day—for a player as obsessive as him, what could be more stimulating to his pride than personally tearing off the ' Shaq's sidekick' label in this place considered the holy grail of basketball, and directly challenging Jordan's throne?"
He wanted to prove to Los Angeles that abandoning him was the biggest mistake, and he wanted to shatter all the doubts about him in the temple that Jordan had built.
This was a perfectly aligned partnership between General Manager Jerry Krause and player Kobe, where each harbored their own obsessions yet their interests were seamlessly intertwined.
In this sensational three-way trade that shook the entire league, no one was a "sucker." Every member of the management team got what they wanted most at this stage in this complex game.
"Looks like the Eastern Conference season won't be too boring this year."
Lin Qi turned off the TV, turned around, and gazed intently at the Boston skyline outside the window.
With the aging of the New York Knicks and the decline of the Indiana Pacers, the Eastern Conference had almost become a one-man show by Boston. But now, a Kobe Bryant, full of anger and determined to prove Kobe to the world, has officially arrived here.
"Lin, could this be a problem for us?" The assistant clearly sensed the looming threat. "A Kobe with unlimited shooting rights, plus Jerry Krause's determination to prove himself, Chicago's momentum next season is absolutely insane."
"It's not much of a problem."
Lin Qi shook his head slightly, his tone as calm as ever.
"In Chicago, he will definitely achieve great things." He looked out the window and gave an extremely rational assessment. "He will score amazing numbers, win the scoring title without a doubt, and deliver several seasons that will shake the entire nation. But at the same time, this will be the price he inevitably has to pay... He will repeatedly encounter his own inner demons in his extreme individual heroism."
Lin Qi stretched out his finger and tapped it lightly twice on the windowsill.
"When he realized that even if he took thirty shots every game, he couldn't truly reach the top like Jordan; when he realized that one person's obsession couldn't bridge the huge gap in team strength, the feeling of isolation and frustration was far more despairing than what he experienced in Los Angeles."
"And Boston was the mountain he had to climb."
Lin Qi's voice contained not a trace of superfluous emotion, but only absolute certainty about objective laws.
"A highly cohesive team is always the greatest enemy of individual heroism. Only when he truly understands the meaning of teamwork, learns to compromise with the rules of basketball, and tries to overcome Boston can he complete his final transformation."
At this point, Lin Qi paused for a moment and picked up the coffee on the table, which had already gone cold.
"I just don't know if that day will ever come before this pride is completely worn away by reality."