After hanging up Jordan's call, Lin Qi was not discouraged by the result of his probing; instead, he found it even more interesting.
Since Michael Jordan has already entered " Lakers player" preparation mode and is unwilling to give up his number one draft pick to Boston, he can only look for teams that truly need draft picks to rebuild.
The Los Angeles Clippers ' second overall pick wasn't easy to get either...
Lin Qi's gaze swept across the league's draft order chart on the table, finally settling on the Atlanta Hawks held the third overall pick.
This team is currently in an awkward, mediocre position. Their roster is riddled with multi-million dollar contracts, and the team lacks a true cornerstone for building a franchise. More importantly, in the previous workouts held in Atlanta, the Hawks ' management was not very satisfied with this year's rookies. They aren't particularly keen on the third overall pick, even feeling that getting it in this "weak" draft class would be a burden—overpaid and underperforming. They'd rather acquire two first-round picks to increase their chances of winning and, incidentally, bolster their thin roster depth.
This was practically a deal tailor-made for Lin Qi.
Without hesitation, Lin Qi dialed the number of Hawks general manager Pete Babcock.
" Pete, I know you weren't satisfied with many of your picks during the tryouts." The moment the call connected, Lin Qi skipped the pleasantries and began with an unequivocal statement, "I'm trading my fourth overall pick plus a tenth overall pick for your third overall pick."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
Babcock was sitting in his Atlanta office, a cigarette in his hand. When he heard Lin Qi's offer, his hand trembled violently, and a pinch of ash fell onto the table.
He knows Lin Qi too well. The whole league knows that when this guy calls you and offers a deal that seems "very reasonable, even a bargain," you'd better mentally check for any potential traps.
" Lin Qi, I admit your offer is tempting." Babcock cleared his throat, trying to hide his excitement, "But how can you be sure we don't want to use our third overall pick on a young, big guy?"
"In this weak draft class, the talent difference between the fourth and third picks is almost zero. By trading your third pick for my fourth and tenth picks, you're essentially getting a lottery pick for free. Go pick a good-looking college player who can contribute immediately; that'll be enough to satisfy your boss."
Babcock weighed his options on the other end of the phone. In this "weak" year full of uncertainty, as Lin Qi said, the difference in value between the 3rd and 4th picks was negligible. He could easily select his desired player with the 4th pick and still get a free 10th pick to use as a high-value lottery ticket.
" Lin Qi..." Babcock gave a wry smile. This deal was perfectly in the Hawks' current interests, and he had no reason to refuse. "Deal."
Having resolved the issue of the highest draft pick, Lin Qi's actions didn't stop there. He quickly dialed the number of Golden State Warriors general manager Gary St. Jean.
The Warriors hold the 31st pick in this year's draft, a pick that many teams would consider worthless.
" Gary, how about I use my second-round pick plus some cash to buy your 31st pick?" Lin Qi threw out the bait directly, his tone as casual as if he were buying a cup of coffee. "Your boss will praise you for being a shrewd and capable manager."
Sure enough, upon hearing about the cash deposit, Jean on the other end of the phone didn't hesitate for a second. "No problem, Lin Qi! I'll have my assistant fax you the contract right away."
Next, Lin Qi put the ninth overall pick he had acquired from the Pistons on the trading block and completed a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, acquiring their unprotected first-round picks from 2002 and 2004.
With these phone calls concluded, Lin Qi's final asset consolidation on the eve of the draft was completed.
Just then, the office door opened. Head coach Rick Carlisle and scouting director Sam Presti walked in, carrying a thick stack of documents.
"Boss, I heard you just completed a trade with Atlanta?" Rick Carlisle pulled out a chair and sat down, a hint of excitement in his eyes. "So, what's our draft strategy for tomorrow night..."
Lin Qi didn't answer directly. He leaned back in his leather swivel chair, picked up the notebook on the table, heavily crossed out some draft picks that had already been traded with his pen, and then wrote down a row of extremely clear numbers.
There are less than 24 hours left until the 2001 NBA Draft.
Lin Qi spun the notebook halfway around and pushed it in front of Rick Carlisle and Presti.
Looking at this "asset list" that would drive any general manager in the entire league mad with envy, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
[ Celtics' Assets List: On the Eve of the 2001 Draft]
[2001 NBA Draft Pick]
Third overall pick (first round, from the Atlanta Hawks )
Sixth overall pick (first round, from the Vancouver Grizzlies )
Fourteenth overall pick (first round, from the Orlando Magic )
21st overall pick (first round, from the Milwaukee Bucks )
29th overall pick (first round, from the Boston Celtics )
The 31st pick (second round, from the Golden State Warriors )
[Future draft pick assets]
2002 first-round pick (from the Phoenix Suns, acquired by Michael Redd, unprotected)
2002 first-round pick (from the Sacramento Kings, acquired by Eddie Jones, unprotected)
2002 first-round pick (from the Portland Trail Blazers, acquired in the Rasheed Wallace trade, unprotected)
2002 first-round pick (from the Detroit Pistons, acquired through league arbitration, unprotected)
2002 first-round pick (from the Philadelphia 76ers, acquired in a trade to the Pistons, unprotected)
2003 first-round pick (from the Chicago Bulls, acquired in the Tracy McGrady trade, unprotected)
2004 first-round pick (from the Philadelphia 76ers, acquired in a trade to the Pistons, unprotected)
2005 first-round pick (from the Chicago Bulls, acquired by the Tracy McGrady trade, unprotected)
Lin Qi calmly capped his pen, the soft click breaking the silence in the office.
He turned to look at the Boston skyline gradually darkening outside the window.
Regardless of Michael Jordan's next plans, whether he's really going to Los Angeles...
Lin Qi turned around and lightly tapped the notebook on the table with his finger bones.
Since things have come to this, let's start with the talent show.