Back in mid-April, before the first round of the playoffs even began, the ownership transfer of the New Jersey Nets had already been quietly completed at the league office.
With Jerry Colangelo's explicit endorsement on the board, Boston's support behind the scenes, and the concrete plans from the Europe commercial real estate team for the arena complex, Brooklyn real estate developer Ratner was completely ousted. Wang Jialian took full control of the Nets with extremely swift and decisive action, becoming another Chinese-owned owner in North America's four major professional sports leagues.
The day after the deal was finalized, Lin Qi pushed a young man in his early thirties in front of Wang Jialian.
Mark Roberts.
Before coming to New Jersey, he worked under Lin Qi for five years, becoming an expert in salary cap details, exception clause combinations, and advanced scouting models. He had no legendary status and didn't mingle with the old-school coaching circles in New York.
Wang Jialian didn't even finish reading his resume before slamming the document on the coffee table and issuing a warning.
"I don't care what you did for Lin Qi in Boston, or how close you are to him. In New Jersey, I'll pay your salary. I only care about two things: first, the team's record, and second, the financial statements. If you win and sell out tickets at Continental Airlines Arena, your bonuses will still be paid. If the record continues to be terrible, or you waste my money in your operations, even if you're Lin Qi's brother, I'll fire you immediately."
Mark Roberts accepted the offer calmly without making any further comment.
Then, in May, New Jersey had a turning point. The Nets, who had the worst record in the league, won the 2002 first overall pick with the highest probability.
Inside a private room at a private club in Midtown Manhattan.
Mark Roberts opened the folder he was carrying and laid out a detailed list of player salaries in front of Lin Qi.
"Boss, this is the New Jersey Nets' current assets." Roberts ' voice was low, professional and calm. " David Stern has already spoken to all the major broadcasters, and Yao Ming will be the number one draft pick tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden without any surprises. But if you really hand this team over to him, the current roster will be a disaster."
Lin Qi leaned back on the leather sofa, his gaze sweeping over the list.
Stephen Marbury, Kerry Kittles, Sio Harris, Keith Van Horn, Richard Jefferson, Kenyon Martin, Todd McCloch, Somaila Samaki, Jason Collins, John Newman, Kendall Gill, Aaron Williams, Brandon B. J. Armstrong...
A bunch of players with high salaries and long contracts, heavy ball possession, and offensive isolation players with terrible defensive discipline, all reminiscent of the late 20th century.
" Yao Ming is a traditional low-post pivot. He needs space, a partner who can defend against heavy interior players, and a point guard with extremely high basketball IQ who is willing to pass the ball." Lin Qi tapped his fingers lightly on the table. " New Jersey needs a complete overhaul. Apart from that number one draft pick, most of the current roster needs to be cleared out."
"How do I move it?" Roberts adjusted his glasses, his pen hovering over the notebook.
"Start with the biggest card... Stephen Marbury."
Lin Qi looked at Marbury's name and said without hesitation, " Marbury needs a lot of ball possession, and his offense relies mainly on individual drives and passes. He also can't control the temper in the locker room. If you let a lone wolf who is used to unlimited shooting opportunities feed the ball to a rookie center, the locker room will be infighting within two months."
"Who would you replace him with?"
" Los Angeles Clippers, Elton Brand."
Roberts paused abruptly, looking up. "Donald Sterling will let him go? Brand was a near All-Star power forward last season, averaging 18+11."
" Sterling will let him go because Brand only has one year left on his rookie contract."
Lin Qi chuckled coldly, dissecting the Clippers ' stingy mentality. " Sterling's business philosophy boils down to two things: first, sell tickets; second, save money as much as possible. Brand faces a max contract extension next summer, Sterling absolutely hates offering young players seven or eight years of fully guaranteed max contracts—that would be the death of him. And Marbury? As one of the main victims of the 1999 lockout, Marbury's max contract was constrained by the salary cap reduction clause at the time, making it not expensive among All-Star guards. Moreover, his playing style is flashy and distinctly New York street style; playing in Los Angeles would greatly boost the Clippers' dismal ticket sales."
"For the Clippers, trading a center who is about to face contract renewal problems for an All-Star guard with box office appeal is exactly what Sterling wants."
Roberts quickly mentally rehearsed the plan, his eyes lighting up. "And Brand is an excellent fit for Yao Ming!"
"That's right." Lin Qi nodded. " Brand has a solid mid-range shooting ability, is technically versatile, and has excellent court vision. More importantly, he has top-tier lower body strength in the league, a weight of 275 pounds, and a wingspan of 2.26 meters. On the defensive end, he can completely help Yao Ming withstand the direct attacks of heavy big men like Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal or Alonzo Mourning."
" Brand's only weakness is his height of only 2.03 meters barefoot, which makes him vulnerable when playing inside. But playing alongside Yao Ming, height is not a problem at all."
Roberts jotted down the core framework of the first trade on a piece of paper, then moved his pen to the next glaring name. "What about Kenyon Martin? He was the number one pick in 2000, incredibly athletic, and plays a tough game."
"He's not a good fit for New Jersey," Lin Qi said bluntly. " Martin relies entirely on his physical gifts, lacks consistent jump shot opportunities in half-court offense, and would severely limit Yao Ming's offensive options in the low post. Plus, he's too hot-tempered and prone to falling for fakes and committing unnecessary fouls on defense. Keeping him will only make it harder for Yao Ming in half-court sets."
"Send him to the Phoenix Suns." Lin Qi took out a pen and drew an arc on a piece of paper. " Jerry Colangelo has always preferred mobile, fast-break big men. Trade Kenyon Martin for the Suns ' Joe Johnson."
"Joe Johnson?" Roberts was somewhat surprised. "He was selected tenth overall last year, but his playing time in his rookie season was fragmented, averaging less than 8 points per game. His trade value isn't high."
"Precisely because he hasn't yet proven himself and his trade value is low, we can acquire him at the lowest cost." Lin Qi's gaze was confident. "He demonstrated extremely high tactical awareness in college, has a soft shot, can play shooting guard, and can also share the pressure with the ball. Putting him on the perimeter will immediately create space for New Jersey."
"Of course, just trading for Joe Johnson would waste Kenyon Martin's remaining value." Lin Qi leaned forward. "Let's bring Colangelo to a third team and monetize all the excess value Martin has by converting it into a first-round draft pick. For this move, you'll need to get at least other players from the Suns and squeeze two or three future first-round picks out of the third team."
Roberts quickly jotted down notes. "After acquiring these assets, what about the point guard position? After trading Marbury, we're short a starting point guard."
" The Cleveland Cavaliers," Lin Qi uttered a team name. " The Cleveland Cavaliers are planning to trade Andrei Miller. Miller just won the league assists title, but the Cleveland Cavaliers plan to tank next season to try and get LeBron James, the Chosen One in next year's draft. They don't want to give Miller a big contract."
"Try negotiating with some of the immediate impact assets or draft picks we got in the Kenyon Martin three-way trade," Lin Qi instructed. " Andrei Miller is a true old-school point guard, with extremely steady passing and excellent rhythm. He's one of the best guards in the league right now at feeding the ball to the low post."
With the core axis of the team sorted out, all that's left are those heavy role players.
Lin Qi pointed to several names at the bottom of the list. " Richard Jefferson can stay, Keith Van Horn, John Newman, Aaron Williams, Sio Harris, Kendall Gill... put all of them on the market."
"Whether you send them to a team that desperately needs playoff pieces, or to a team that needs to avoid the tax loophole for expiring contracts, you only have one task: don't trade any long-term, immediate contributors; just get all the second-round or first-round picks, even those that are late in the draft."
"Understood. Completely clear out any redundant assets in the locker room and exchange them for draft picks." Roberts looked up at Lin Qi. "Then... how do we get Boston involved in these trades?"
This is the core of tonight's negotiations.
Lin Qi downed his black coffee in one gulp.
"After you've completed all these trades, take the draft picks you have and come to Boston to make one last trade with me."