The next day, in a private room at a private club in Midtown Manhattan.
"Boss, after I announced the big overhaul, one team has already approached us. And they're extremely interested in Keith Van Horn."
Lin Qi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Who?"
"Our neighbor, the New York Knicks." Roberts pushed up his glasses. " LeBron James Dolan's people contacted me privately with an offer that left me a little unsure."
Lin Qi leaned back on the sofa, quickly recalling the Knicks' current situation in his mind.
In the summer of 2002, the New York Knicks, who had the highest total payroll in the league, had just delivered a humiliating record of 30 wins and 52 losses. This was the first time in fifteen years that they had missed the playoffs. The atmosphere at Madison Square Garden was dismal, Dolan was being criticized by the New York media and fans every day.
Although Dolan talks about controlling costs, his underlying operational logic has never been "saving money," but rather "using money to acquire star players to sell tickets." For the Knicks, Van Horn, with the halo of being the second overall pick and a "star player" well-known to the New York local media, has an extremely fatal attraction.
More importantly, the Knicks ' salary cap was already insane, so another multi-million dollar contract would be nothing to worry about for them.
"What offer did Dolan give you?" Lin Qi asked with great interest.
"Marcus Camby, Mark Jackson, and... their 7th overall pick in this year's draft!" Roberts ' voice was filled with barely concealed excitement.
Upon hearing the offer, Lin Qi's eyes lit up.
In the original timeline, the Knicks made a notorious bad trade that summer: they traded the exact same assets ( Camby + Jackson + 7th pick) to the Denver Nuggets for Antonio McDyess, who also had a serious knee injury problem. As a result, McDyess barely played for the Knicks was completely ruined, and the Knicks gave away their future core in the paint (that 7th pick was eventually used to select Nene ) and Camby.
Now, with Roberts aggressively shopping Van Horn in New Jersey, the Knicks have clearly shifted their focus from the Nuggets to the Nets!
"This is a very generous offer. Dolan has practically delivered it to your door, why not rob him?" Lin Qi sat up straight.
Marcus Camby, despite being plagued by injuries, is a top-tier rim protector and shot-blocker in the league whenever he's on the court.
Mark Jackson, although he is 37 years old, has a valuable expiring contract.
Most importantly, it was the 7th overall pick in the first round of the draft!
"Boss, this trade makes perfect sense for the Knicks from a basketball logic standpoint," Roberts quickly analyzed. "They need a star to revive the market. Trading away the injury-plagued Camby and veteran Jackson, and bringing back Van Horn to create space for Sprewell."
"But there's a technical hurdle regarding salary matching." Roberts frowned. " Van Horn is currently under the restriction period of the 'base year compensation' clause. Before July 1st, he can only be traded based on 75% of his salary, which is approximately $8.1 million. The Camby plus Jackson we're getting in return is exactly $11 million, exceeding the $8.1 million limit. We can't complete the trade before the draft."
"No, it can be done." Lin Qi interrupted him decisively. "Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Since Van Horn's calculated salary is only 8.1 million, which doesn't balance the 11 million, then add more chips to balance it!"
Roberts was taken aback.
"Don't you still have a bunch of veterans and fringe players on your list who don't want to stay?" Lin Qi tapped his finger heavily on the table twice. " John Newman, Aaron Williams... just pick a few with reasonable salaries, pack them up and send them over with Van Horn! New York was willing to give up Camby and the 7th pick to get Van Horn, they definitely won't mind taking on a few more small contracts."
Then, Lin Qi changed the subject, his eyes becoming serious. "However, while Marcus Camby is a great rim protector, his frequent injuries are a concern for New Jersey's future plans. Since we're going to do a clean sweep, let's do it thoroughly. Add him to the trade with the Phoenix Suns!"
"What's the meaning?"
"Make this a three-way deal!" Lin Qi quickly mentally calculated. " The Knicks want Van Horn; we'll package Camby and Kenyon Martin together and send them to the Suns. Jerry Colangelo is worried about his interior defense; with Martin and Camby, the Suns ' paint will instantly become a no-fly zone! In return, you'll squeeze more draft picks and assets out of Colangelo. And New Jersey will simply comfortably accept the Knicks ' 7th pick, Mark Jackson's expiring contract, and the Suns ' Joe Johnson and a first-round pick."
Roberts scribbled rapidly on the paper, his hands trembling slightly with excitement.
By acquiring a high-salary, low-performing Van Horn and a Kenyon Martin who wasn't a good fit for Yao Ming, Nene with a few add-ons, they essentially got a top-tier seventh-round pick, Nene, a promising young center with immense potential, Joe Johnson, plus an expiring contract and multiple first-round picks! It was a perfect series of robberies!
"Okay, I'll get right on it!" Roberts looked up, his face full of excitement.
"Now it's time for you to make a deal with me." Lin Qi put down his coffee cup.
Roberts' heart skipped a beat; he knew the main course was about to begin.
" The Boston Celtics traded Andrei Kirilenko and Wang Zhizhi."
Lin Qi's voice was extremely calm.
" Andrei Kirilenko can play both the three and four positions. His lateral movement on defense is terrifying, and his help defense covers the entire weak side. More importantly, he doesn't demand the ball at all. His cuts and long-armed help defense can create a natural perimeter barrier around Yao Ming and Brand."
"As for Wang Zhizhi," Lin Qi paused, "He spent several years honing his skills in Boston, developing not only a highly dangerous three-point shot from the wing, but more importantly, he speaks fluent English and has adapted to the pace of life in the NBA. New Jersey welcomes a young China big man; in a foreign land, Wang Zhizhi can help Yao Ming adapt to the league quickly, both on the sidelines and in the locker room. Wang Zhizhi's shooting is also an excellent addition to the second unit's spacing."
"You give the Celtics your 7th pick, and to make the trade look more like it, I'll spend some cash to buy a few second-round picks as a bonus."
Roberts took a deep breath.
In my mind, the New Jersey Nets ' new starting lineup for next season has already taken shape.
Point Guard: Andrei Miller
Shooting Guard: Joe Johnson
Small Forward: Andrei Kirilenko
Power Forward: Elton Brand
Center: Yao Ming
On the bench sat Wang Zhizhi, Richard Jefferson, and veteran Mark Jackson.
The entire roster is young, physically imposing, and possesses top-tier defensive toughness and outside shooting ability!
" Wang Jialian's lineup and rhetoric are impeccable," Roberts said with fervent enthusiasm. "Not only will they win, but having both Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi will completely ignite the massive Chinese market in New York and New Jersey —and that doesn't even include the China market!"
" David Stern's side is also flawless," Lin Qi added coldly. "To avoid taxes and weaken their roster, Boston was forced to trade away Kirilenko and Wang Zhizhi from their championship rotation, in exchange for draft picks that New Jersey had snatched from other teams. In the eyes of the American media, Boston is continuing to 'cut off its own arm'."
Lin Qi stood up and straightened his suit collar.
"Go do it, Mark."
Lin Qi patted Roberts on the shoulder, his tone calm. "Even if Boston is outwardly forced into a series of defeats, the future of the Eastern Conference still belongs to us."
On the eve of the draft, the entire NBA trade market was like a magnitude 12 earthquake.
New Jersey Nets ' new general manager Mark Roberts, completely overhauled last season's roster in just one week.
[ESPN Breaking News: Clippers and Nets Complete Blockbuster Trade!]: " New Jersey sends Stephen Marbury and multiple draft picks to the Clippers in exchange for Elton Brand and the 12th overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft."
[TNT Trade Briefing: A Blockbuster Three-Way Trade! Knicks Gamble on Van Horn, Suns Acquire Martin and Camby!]: " The Nets, Knicks, and Suns completed a blockbuster three-way trade before the draft! The Nets sent Van Horn, Kenyon Martin, and several minimum-salary players to the Knicks in exchange for Mark Jackson and the 7th overall pick in the first round, and received Joe Johnson, the 22nd overall pick in the first round, and several future draft picks from the Suns. The Knicks got Van Horn as they wanted; the Suns, on the other hand, acquired defensive stalwart Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby!"
[ Yahoo Sports: Cleveland Cavaliers trade away their assist leader!]: " The Cavaliers announced they are trading Andrei Miller to the New Jersey Nets, completely tanking."
[ The Boston Globe: Celtics continue trading, Kirilenko and Wang Zhizhi leave!]: " The Celtics traded Andrei Kirilenko and Wang Zhizhi to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for the 7th overall pick in the 2002 draft! In recent trades, they've sent away almost half of their team!"
[Transaction Summary]
Boston Celtics vs. New Jersey Nets:
Celtics sent:
Andrei Kirilenko
Wang Zhizhi
Multiple second-round draft picks
Received from the Nets:
7th overall pick in the first round of the 2002 NBA draft (from the Knicks )