With five days to go before the opening game, the atmosphere in the Celtics' tactics room at the training facility was somewhat eerie.
The starting lineup for the new season has already been drawn up on the tactical board.
Point Guard: Gary Payton.
Shooting Guard: Chris Paul Pierce.
Small forward: Ron Artest.
Power Forward: Kevin Garnett.
Center: Ben Wallace.
This is a roster that could give every offensive player in the league a nightmare.
But now, the problem lies at the shooting guard position.
Rick Carlisle looked at Chris Paul Pierce sitting opposite him, his expression troubled. " Chris Paul, I need you to play shooting guard. You have the best shooting and face-up skills on the team. At shooting guard, you'll get more mismatch isolation opportunities than in the previous two years."
The logic was impeccable. But Pierce just sat in his chair, shaking his head like a rattle-drum. "No, coach. I only play small forward. I will never play shooting guard."
Rick Carlisle tried to reason with him. "You played shooting guard in college and when you first entered the league. This is just a slight positional adjustment; your tactical importance won't decrease."
"Coach, this isn't a tactical issue," Pierce, his neck still stiff, his eyes even showing a hint of resentment. "This is the bottom line. I don't play shooting guard."
Rick Carlisle was at a loss. No matter how reasonable the tactics were in theory, if the players had reservations, it would be a complete mess on the field.
Fifteen minutes later, he could only pass the problem on to Lin Qi, who happened to be in his office on the second floor.
" Chris Paul refuses to play shooting guard?"
Lin Qi frowned slightly after listening to Rick Carlisle's report. As a time traveler, he clearly remembered that Pierce had indeed played shooting guard for several seasons in another timeline, and had done very well. There was no reason for him to have such a strong aversion to this position.
"Have him come to my office."
A few minutes later, Pierce sat somewhat awkwardly across from Lin Qi's large desk. Even though he was a veteran and the team's offensive core, he still felt a little intimidated by the man who had just spent $300 million to buy the team outright and single-handedly created a three-peat.
" Chris Paul, give me a reason." Lin Qi cut to the chase without beating around the bush. " Rick Carlisle's arrangement is the most reasonable. You'll be very comfortable at shooting guard, so why refuse?"
Pierce swallowed hard, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.
"To be honest, there are no outsiders here." Lin Qi leaned back in his chair, his gaze sharp.
Under Lin Qi's watchful gaze, Pierce finally broke down. With a mournful face, he revealed the true thoughts that had been weighing on his mind for days.
"Lin... I want to stay in Boston. I don't want to be traded."
Lin Qi was taken aback. "Who said they wanted to trade you?"
"Is that even a question?!" Pierce excitedly started counting on his fingers, "Look at these past few years, whoever started shooting guard got traded! Eddie Jones, a two-way player who was willing to sacrifice stats for the team, was traded to the Sacramento Kings. Doc Doug Christie, such a good defender, was traded to the Suns. Bruce Bowen, such a great 3-and-D player, was also traded to the Spurs! Now Coach Rick Carlisle wants me to play that position... This is clearly a prelude to trading me away mid-season!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Qi's lips twitched involuntarily.
What kind of thought process is this? But thinking about it carefully, in recent years, for various reasons, the shooting guard position on the team has indeed become the most unstable, like a revolving door. No wonder Pierce has this kind of persecution complex.
Pierce, seeing Lin Qi remain silent, assumed he'd guessed correctly and quickly added, "Lin, I only have one year left on my rookie contract, and you haven't talked to me about an extension. I'm feeling uncertain. Actually... actually, I want to stay in Boston until I retire. If the team's salary cap is tight, I'm even willing to take a pay cut! But... but not too much, maybe a $1 million pay cut per year."
Lin Qi rubbed his temples, somewhat speechless. A reduction of $1 million per year? Better than nothing.
Wait a minute? After taxes, Pierce would only get about $500,000 from $100 a month, which is roughly what he earns from playing exhibition games in Europe each year...
That kid is really cunning.
As for not discussing a contract extension... that's simply because he's been too busy lately, busy laundering equity and building EBA, and forgot about it. His original plan was to wait until Pierce becomes a restricted free agent next summer and then use Larry Bird Exception Bird Rights to give him a seven-year maximum contract.
But now it seems that if the core issue of "contract year anxiety" isn't addressed immediately, the locker room chemistry will definitely run into serious problems.
" Chris Paul, stop overthinking." Lin Qi tapped the table, interrupting Pierce's statement about taking a pay cut. "The team has never considered trading you. You're the cornerstone of Boston, and I originally planned to give you a long-term contract next summer. But since the goal is a four-peat, anxiety in the final year of your contract is definitely detrimental to team morale."
Lin Qi opened the drawer and took out a blank contract extension letter that he had prepared beforehand. NBA rules state that teams can extend the contracts of players in the final year of their rookie contracts before the season officially begins.
"The team is indeed under salary pressure," Lin Qi said, looking at Pierce, outlining his terms. "I'll give you the security you want. But in exchange, you have to make substantial concessions on your salary."
"Let's finalize the contract now. Six years, $80 million." Lin Qi held up one finger. "That's about $5 million less than the top salary you should be getting."
"But the few million you lose out on comes with special terms I'll give you. This contract will include a veto right for the transaction, plus a 15% transaction deposit."
Pierce's eyes lit up instantly.
For a player who is extremely insecure and afraid of being traded, a no-trade clause is practically a get-out-of-jail-free card. This means that unless Pierce himself agrees, no one in the entire league can kick him out of Boston.
"Deal! Lin, from now on I'm Boston's starting shooting guard, anyone who tries to take my place will have to face me!" Pierce happily signed his name and walked briskly out of the office, as if a Mountain had been lifted off his shoulders.
No sooner had Pierce left than Lin Qi had his assistant call Ben Wallace over.
Big Ben also faces contract renewal issues. If he doesn't secure a deal in advance, countless teams will be waving their checkbooks to snatch him up next summer.
With Pierce's "friendly price" as a base (only $5 million cheaper), Lin Qi's negotiations with Big Ben went very smoothly. Big Ben, a pure blue-collar worker, was grateful to Lin Qi for giving him a starting position and respect.
Ultimately, Big Ben signed a six-year, $60 million contract.
After re-signing two key players, it's time to do some serious accounting...