Three days before the NBA draft. Boston, New Garden, president's office.
Lin Qi pressed the speakerphone button on the phone on his desk. On the other end of the line was Rick Sund, the current general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics.
" Lin Qi, Gary Payton's agent has submitted the contract extension offer with additional clauses." Sund's voice sounded more relaxed than a few days ago, but still carried a businessman's caution. "I've spoken with Mr. Schultz. To be fair, bringing Gary Payton back is indeed in our mutual interest right now."
"In Seattle, the name Gary Payton means ticket sales and viewership. Especially after he just won four consecutive championships and contained Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals." Sund paused, "The owner was willing to give him that four-year contract. But..."
"But relying on Gary Payton alone won't sell many nostalgia tickets." Lin Qi astutely picked up the thread, pinpointing Sund's concern. "If the team's record is a pile of crap, Seattle fans will cheer for a few games and then stop buying tickets. Owner Schultz is a shrewd businessman; he wants sustained box office success, which means sustained victories, right?"
"Absolutely right, Lin Qi. You're always so perceptive." Sund sighed. " Seattle's roster is extremely unbalanced right now, especially in the paint. We need to add immediate impact players; we need the strength to make the playoffs. But our salary cap is completely locked up. We lost over ten million dollars last year, and the owner won't allow us to sign anyone in free agency."
Lin Qi leaned back in his swivel chair, fiddling with a fountain pen in his hand.
Enough groundwork has been laid; now it's time to reveal the true colors.
" Rick, what if I told you I could solve all these problems for you at once?" Lin Qi's voice was extremely calm, yet it possessed an irresistible charm.
"Solve it all at once?" Sund was taken aback.
"Yes." Lin Qi flipped open a document on the table. "First, regarding your locked-in salary cap. I will be taking over Vin Baker."
"What?!" Sund jumped up from his chair on the other end of the phone, his voice distorted with shock. "You're willing to take on Vin Baker?!"
In the 2002 NBA, Vin Baker was a nightmare for almost every general manager in the league. Alcoholism, uncontrolled weight gain, a precipitous decline in performance, coupled with a long-term contract worth tens of millions, made him a super burden that Schultz wanted to get rid of every day.
"You heard me right," Lin Qi said calmly. "By taking over this garbage contract, you'll have a healthy salary structure to renew Gary Payton and even plan for the next few years."
Sund swallowed hard, suppressing his elation. " Lin Qi, you're not doing charity. You must have your reasons for taking on such a huge mess. Besides, this only solves the money problem; what about the team's strength?"
"Team strength, that's the bargaining chip I'm going to give you next."
Lin Qi calmly said, "Besides Gary Payton, I'll also include Stephen Jackson in the trade. He's an extremely young, top-tier 3-and-D forward who just proved himself capable of containing Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals. With him, your perimeter defense will immediately improve to a whole new level."
"But that's not enough, Rick. You need an inside player who can ignite the arena." Lin Qi threw out the final bait, "I have the ninth overall pick in this year's draft. You can go for Amar'e Stoudamire."
"That high school student?" Sund's tone betrayed obvious hesitation. "Our scouting report says he's technically rudimentary, can't do anything except dunk, and has an extremely complicated off-court background..."
" Rick, throw those damn scouting reports into the shredder!" Lin Qi interrupted him rudely. "Look at his tape! That kid has monstrous athleticism and explosiveness! He jumps faster in the paint than 90% of the centers in the league!"
Lin Qi's voice suddenly became extremely inflammatory. "Imagine that scene: Rick Gary Payton has the ball at the top of the key, Amar'e Stoudamire cuts down the court. Gary Payton tosses the ball over the rim, and that high schooler leaps from the free-throw line like a beast and slams the ball into the basket!"
Sund suddenly fell silent on the other end of the phone.
"Familiar?" Lin Qi pointed out the obvious, " Gary Payton's alley-oop pass, paired with an inside beast with savage athleticism... isn't that the ' The Glove ' and ' Reign Man ' duo that Seattle was so proud of back in the day?!"
Sund gasped sharply.
"Isn't Howard Schultz after commercial success?" Lin Qi shrewdly cut to the chase. "This is the best business! Gary Payton's triumphant return, coupled with ' Sean Kemp 2.0's' brutal dunking show! Plus Stephen Jackson's iron-clad defense! Seattle's KeyArena will be sold out next season, even standing room tickets!"
"Not only can you make the playoffs, you can sell out all the tickets, and Schultz can get rid of that disgusting garbage contract of Vin Baker!"
Lin Qi's words, as if possessing magic, painted an extremely perfect blueprint in Sund's mind. This was not only about saving the Seattle SuperSonics ' record, but also about saving his position as general manager in front of the boss.
" Lin Qi..." Sund's breathing was completely erratic; he forced himself to calm down. "This plan is absolutely perfect; it's practically tailor-made for us. But... Boston has paid so much, what do you want in return?"
Lin Qi's smile vanished, his eyes turning icy cold. The true intentions were revealed; now it was time to reap the rewards.
"NBA rules state that you can only trade draft picks from the next seven years at most."
Lin Qi stated calmly, "I want the Seattle SuperSonics ' unprotected first-round draft picks from 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009."
"What?!"
Sund's voice blared shrilly on the other end of the phone. "Four first-round picks?! And all unprotected?! Lin Qi, this is robbery!!!"
"Robbery? This is called fair commercial exchange."
Lin Qi's voice was flat. " Rick, let's do the math. Taking on Wen Baker's multi-million dollar garbage contract to give you more room to maneuver, isn't that worth a first round?"
"A top-tier young forward like Stephen Jackson, who can defend Jordan, would be worth a first-round pick in today's trade market, right?"
"I have the 9th overall pick in my draft. I could easily trade it for two future first-round picks. Do you believe me?"
"Finally, Gary Payton. The core point guard of the four-time champions, the box office and playoff guarantee he brought you. I went out and listened to offers, and there were tons of teams willing to trade two or three first-round picks for him."
"But all I want are your four first-round picks. In return, you'll get rid of bad contracts, return to the playoffs, and have packed stadiums. Most importantly..."
Lin Qi lowered his voice, striking directly at Sund's Achilles' heel. "These first-round picks won't be worth anything for years. For your owner, who only cares about immediate financial statements and short-term gains, draft picks from a few years down the line are far less attractive than next season's ticket revenue and getting rid of bad contracts. If you don't believe me, you can take this offer and knock on his office door right now."
On the other end of the phone, Sund was caught in a painful struggle.
As general manager, he knew perfectly well that giving away four first-round picks over a seven-year period was tantamount to completely undermining the foundation for Seattle's future rebuilding. Once Gary Payton ages and Stoudamire fails to live up to his potential, the Seattle SuperSonics will be doomed for the next seven years.
But the short-term allure of this deal is simply too great.
"Go ahead, Rick." Lin Qi glanced at his watch. "Give me your answer by five o'clock this afternoon."
"Beep... beep... beep..."
The call ended.
Lin Qi put down the microphone, picked up his coffee, took a sip, and a smile appeared on his lips.
He knew that Rick Sund would definitely agree, and Howard Schultz would be even more likely to agree.
Lin Qi not only used this opportunity to perfectly demonstrate his loyalty to David Stern by "dismantling the team and weakening its strength," but also planted a time bomb in Seattle.
By 2007 and 2009, this team, having mortgaged its future, was completely mired in trouble, had no first-round draft picks, and had gone bankrupt...
That would be the perfect opportunity for Gary Payton to snatch up that team at a bargain price.
[Transaction Summary]
Boston Celtics vs. Seattle SuperSonics:
Celtics sent:
Gary Payton
Stephen Jackson
9th overall pick in the first round of the 2002 draft.
From Seattle SuperSonics:
Wen Baker
2003 first-round draft pick
2005 first-round draft pick
2007 first-round draft pick
2009 first-round draft pick