February 22, Boston, Celtics General Manager's Office.
There are only four hours left until the league's trade deadline.
The three landline phones on Lin Qi's desk had been ringing non-stop since eight in the morning.
" The Utah Jazz want to trade a first-round pick plus match-matching salary for Chauncey Billups Billups." The assistant general manager walked in with a stack of faxes and quickly reported, " The Nuggets called to inquire about Rasheed Wallace's offer. And the Trail Blazers, they want Brad Miller."
"Reject them all." Lin Qi placed his hands on the table, not even glancing at the faxes. "If they call to ask why, don't explain, just hang up."
Lin Qi knew very well that on the road to a three-peat, the depth of this roster was the bottom line for the margin of error, except for one person.
"Any news from Doc Doug Christie's side?" Lin Qi asked.
Since the parking lot incident three days ago, Lin Qi has been signaling to the entire league that Doug Christie could be traded.
"Several teams have inquired, but news of Jackie's outburst in the parking lot has spread throughout the industry, and everyone knows they definitely won't renew her contract this offseason, so everyone's trying to lower their asking price." The assistant general manager flipped through another folder. "Currently, the Phoenix Suns are the most sincere offer."
Lin Qi raised his eyebrows.
The Suns' current star player is Tracy McGrady. This season, T-Mac has had a breakout season in Phoenix, averaging a whopping 28 points per game, making him one of the most terrifying scoring machines in the league.
However, the Suns also have significant weaknesses. McGrady needs to expend a lot of energy on offense, and the team urgently needs an outside defender to help relieve the defensive pressure on him.
Doug Christie is not just a simple off-ball 3-and-D player; he possesses the ability to create his own shot and facilitate playmaking, making him a versatile forward/guard. For the Suns, who are aiming to break through in the playoffs, he is a very suitable piece of the puzzle and can directly play as the starting shooting guard, allowing McGrady to move to the small forward position.
"What did Suns general manager Jerry Colangelo say?"
" Colangelo is willing to offer a 2001 first-round draft pick." The assistant general manager glanced at the memo, "But on the condition that we take on one of their veteran players to balance Doug Christie's salary cap. That's a complete garbage contract."
"I don't want that extra player." Lin Qi shook his head decisively. "Our roster doesn't need any more additions, and for the sake of a locker room atmosphere conducive to a three-peat, I absolutely cannot allow a veteran with a retirement contract and no fighting spirit to be brought in."
"But if we don't accept that add-on, the salaries won't match, and the trade won't be approved by the league."
"Then let's find a third-party team to take over." Lin Qi picked up the phone on the table. " The Los Angeles Clippers are still a long way from the poverty line; they have enough salary cap space to just take over that extra team."
Lin Qi dialed Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor's number directly.
Ten minutes later, Lin Qi hung up the phone and turned to give instructions to the assistant general manager.
"We called Phoenix back and agreed to the trade. It was a three-team deal. We sent Doug Christie to the Suns, Suns gave us their first-round pick. As for the salary-matching add-on, the Suns sent him directly to the Clippers. In compensation, we gave the Clippers a 2001 second-round pick."
Through this three-way operation, the Celtics successfully got rid of locker room problems and acquired a first-round pick.
"I'll go submit the transaction request to the alliance office immediately." The assistant general manager quickly turned and left.
The deal was officially completed at 2 PM.
When Rick Carlisle pushed open the door to Lin Qi's office, news of the trade had already made headlines on major sports websites.
"You sent him away." Rick Carlisle stood in front of the desk.
" Bruce Bowen is officially moving into the starting lineup to fill Doug Christie's place." Lin Qi put down his pen and looked at Rick Carlisle. "The ten or so minutes that are free during rotation time will be given to Michael ( Redd ) and Ron ( Artest ). You handle it."
Rick Carlisle nodded. This trade not only resolved off-court issues but also optimized the team's offensive spacing without disrupting the defensive system.
"What do you mean by 'locker room'?" Lin Qi asked.
"It's all very calm. Even Gary Payton seemed relieved to hear they're going to Phoenix."
"Go lead the team in training, Rick. Starting tomorrow, there will be no more trades or off-court news in Boston."
After Rick Carlisle left, Lin Qi walked alone to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the streets of Boston.
The office fell silent. Lin Qi looked at his reflection in the glass window and silently exhaled a breath of stale air.
This is the first time in seven years since he took over the Celtics in 1994 that he has traded a player at the mid-season trade deadline.
His team-building philosophy has always been extremely strict; he adjusts the team roster during the off-season, and once the new season begins, the roster remains largely unchanged.
He prefers to resolve all roster configurations and salary structures during the offseason, allowing the team to gel throughout the season. In his view, mid-season trades are extremely risky; the addition of new players or the departure of veterans can very likely disrupt the chemistry painstakingly built up in the locker room.
So for the past seven years, no matter what injuries or slumps they've encountered, Boston has always remained a spectator on the February trading deadline.
But this time, he made an exception.
Lin Qi reached out and rubbed his aching temples.
There was no other reason; he was just genuinely tired.
Artest's temper can be controlled through psychological intervention and tactics, because that young man from the slums still has a deep desire to play basketball.
But Jackie Doug Christie? That woman brought only endless hysteria, off-court noise, and unreasonable challenges to the coaching staff's authority.
The pressure of aiming for a three-peat is already immense, and Lin Qi doesn't want to waste his energy dealing with a player's family member during the period when the team needs to focus the most.
"Good luck in Phoenix, Doc." Lin Qi looked out the window at the streets of Boston and sighed softly.
If Doug Christie were to join McGrady's team, she might actually get an average of 15 shot attempts per game, and Jackie could continue to give orders from the sidelines as she wished.
But this drama involving the players' families in Boston has come to an end.
From now on, this team has only one goal.
Play pure basketball and keep the O'Brien Trophy at the New Garden.
[Transaction Summary]
Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers three-way trade:
Boston Celtics traded:
Doc Doug Christie
2001 second-round draft pick
The Boston Celtics received:
2001 first-round draft pick (from the Phoenix Suns )
Phoenix Suns traded:
Corey Brown
Mario Elie
2001 first-round draft pick
Phoenix Suns received:
Doc Doug Christie
Los Angeles Clippers traded:
none
The Los Angeles Clippers received:
Corey Brown
Mario Elie
2001 second-round draft pick (from the Boston Celtics )