The next day, Gary Payton walked into Lin Qi's office again.
This time, he no longer had the same anticipation of "returning home in glory" as yesterday, and his face looked extremely grim.
He sat down on the sofa, poured himself a glass of ice water without saying a word, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Have you found out?" Lin Qi asked casually as he flipped through the documents.
"I've found out." Gary Payton gritted his teeth and slammed his water glass heavily on the coffee table. "You're right, that's not the Seattle SuperSonics I know anymore. Even the general manager is a new person."
Gary Payton received some disheartening news through an old friend from his time in the Seattle SuperSonics ' management.
"That coffee businessman Howard Schultz doesn't care how many championships I've won, or whether I'm a Seattle icon," Gary Payton said, his voice laced with suppressed anger. "In his eyes, I'm just an 'expiring contract' worth $13 million next season!"
"Their willingness to take me in, even Stephen Jackson, wasn't about letting me lead the team to a championship. They just wanted to use this last year of my contract to sell a few nostalgia tickets! When my contract expires next summer, they won't offer me a long-term deal; they'll just use me as a tool to clear salary cap space and then kick me out!"
Gary Payton scoffed. "When Barry was here, the team was a family. Now? It's just a cold, hard business."
Lin Qi put down his pen and looked at Gary Payton, whose face was full of disappointment.
" Gary, when the owner changes, the team's soul changes too," Lin Qi said calmly.
Gary Payton rubbed his bald head in frustration.
" Gary, have you ever thought about going back to Seattle in a different way?" Lin Qi suddenly asked, his eyes extremely deep.
Gary Payton paused, then asked, "Another way?"
"Since you don't like the current owner of the Seattle SuperSonics..." Lin Qi leaned forward slightly, staring into Gary Payton's eyes, "Have you ever thought about buying the Seattle SuperSonics yourself after you retire?"
These words hit Gary Payton like a hammer blow, leaving him completely stunned.
Buy an NBA team?!
"I... I've thought about it," Gary Payton stammered, then gave a wry smile. "But Lin Qi, you're kidding. Although I've made some money in the stock market, plus all my savings over the years, it's only a few tens of millions of dollars at most. Buying an NBA team now, plus operating costs, even with a consortium partnership, that amount of money is simply not enough."
Just because it's not enough now doesn't mean it won't be enough in a few years.
Lin Qi stood up and walked over to Gary Payton.
" Gary, once you leave Boston, you'll no longer be my player. Those NBA rules about 'transfer of benefits between labor and management' won't apply to us anymore."
Lin Qi looked at Gary Payton and threw out a crazy plan. "You can legitimately put your money into ' Lin Qi Capital ' and let me manage it for you. I have absolute confidence that in a few years, your assets will grow enough for you to buy a team."
Gary Payton's breathing quickened instantly. He stared intently at Lin Qi, knowing that Lin Qi wasn't joking. He had heard about Lin Qi's methods over the years.
"However, there's a prerequisite." Lin Qi reached out and patted Gary Payton on the shoulder.
"You don't have enough assets right now. You need to sign the last big contract of your career. You need to use NBA money as initial capital to buy a team in the future."
Lin Qi smiled slightly, then changed the subject. "Since the new owner of the Seattle SuperSonics is a pure businessman, let's persuade him using business methods. Let's tell him that you can lead the team to the playoffs, and you can guarantee the arena's ticket sales."
Gary Payton frowned. " Schultz is a shrewd guy. He can't possibly offer me a big contract just by talking."
"You don't just have to talk, you have to show him the cards." Lin Qi walked back to his desk. "Tell him that Boston will not only send you there, but also, out of respect for you, send Stephen Jackson in as well. And if he needs another big man, I can get other players."
Lin Qi looked at Gary Payton: "I'll help you put together a roster that will undoubtedly make the playoffs. With this roster, plus your box office appeal, Seattle's financial statements next season will definitely look fantastic."
"And then?" Gary Payton's eyes lit up.
"Then, you promise Schultz a four-year contract. Make it state that if the team's ticket sales and performance don't meet his expectations next season, he can trade you at any time. This will ensure a healthy salary structure for Seattle and alleviate his biggest concern."
Lin Qi sneered, "Businessmen are all afraid of taking risks. As long as you minimize the risk and present the potential returns to them, they have no reason to refuse."
"And once you get that big contract..." Lin Qi looked at Gary Payton, "You'll have enough money to buy Seattle in the future."
Gary Payton stood there, frozen, his hands clenched into fists, speechless for a long time.
Countless images flooded his mind uncontrollably.
That was Seattle in the 1990s. On game days, the city's signature light drizzle would fall outside KeyArena, but inside the arena it was always as hot as an oven.
He recalled how he stole the ball at the top of the arc, then tossed it into the air without looking back, watching Sean Kemp slam it into the basket like a monster, amidst the deafening roar of the more than 10,000 fans in the arena.
He recalled driving past the Space Needle, with kids wearing number 20 jerseys chasing after his car and shouting his name.
He was reminded of his former boss, Barry Ackerley, the always-smiling old man who would bring cigars to everyone after a win and care about the players' condition like a loving father.
He left his entire youth and the prime of his life in that city.
He had thought that as long as he returned with four championship rings and the glory of defeating Jordan, the city would welcome him home like Sacramento Kings. But the cold reality he learned yesterday shattered his memory of Seattle.
He once felt that his Seattle was completely dead.
But now, Lin Qi has forcefully shoved a crazy, yet incredibly real, possibility into his hands.
Don't become an "expiring contract" that others pick and choose from.
Don't become a tool for businessmen to exploit your sentiments.
Instead, he walked back to the boss's office with his own capital, as a true owner, and bought back his home with real money.
Looking into Lin Qi's calm eyes, Gary Payton suddenly felt a surge of extremely complex emotions.
He stood up and straightened his suit collar. The " The Glove," who was always so talkative and roguish on the court, now looked incredibly serious.
" Lin Qi." Gary Payton took a deep breath, his voice filled with a desperate determination, "If that day ever comes, if I can really buy KeyArena back... then every time you come to Seattle for an away game, I'll cover all the coffee in the city."
Lin Qi smiled, picked up the slightly cooled black coffee on the table, and raised his cup to Gary Payton in the distance.
"It's a deal. Go get your big contract, Gary."