August 1st, 8:00 AM.
The door to the CEO's office on the top floor of Boston's New Garden, which had been closed for a whole year, was finally pushed open again.
Lin Qi was dressed in a sharp, bespoke suit. The sound of his leather shoes on the floor was particularly clear in the empty office. He walked to the large desk, reached out and stroked the texture of the leather on the back of the chair, and then slowly sat down.
"Welcome back, boss."
Assistant Margaret walked in carrying a thick stack of documents, her face beaming with barely concealed excitement. The entire Celtics management had been under immense pressure over the past year, but now, the true backbone of the Boston Celtics had finally returned.
Margaret placed the prepared league-wide offseason operations briefing on the table, then tactfully withdrew, leaving Lin Qi with the quiet space.
Lin Qi leaned back in his chair, his long, slender fingers opening the first document.
His brows furrowed slightly.
Robert Horry officially signed with the San Antonio Spurs on July 24.
As a key player in helping the Boston Celtics win the championship in a shortened season, Horry's clutch performance was a championship piece that Lin Qi had always coveted. Back in the summer of 1999, Lin Qi traded Horry to the Utah Jazz. But he had actually been waiting, waiting for Horry's contract to expire this summer, intending to re-sign him back to Boston on a veteran's minimum contract.
Unexpectedly, Popovich still snatched it away.
Lin Qi closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, and involuntarily conjured up the image of the Spurs ' terrifying roster for next season.
Jason Kidd, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, David Robinson, Carl Malone, and now Robert Horry, a player seemingly born for the big stage, have joined the roster. The team Popovich has built in State of Texas can no longer be described as simply "luxurious"...
He continued flipping through the documents, his gaze quickly landing on the operational assessment of their Eastern Conference arch-rivals, the Miami Heat.
Looking at the Heat's trade details, Lin Qi couldn't help but shake his head.
After failing to acquire Kidd and having their offer matched by the Lakers ' Odom offer, the Heat made almost no acquisitions in the free agent market. Pat Riley had $20 million in salary cap space that he couldn't spend, and was ultimately forced to turn to Plan B: using that space to absorb bad contracts.
Just two days ago, the Heat and the Dallas Mavericks made a trade: the Dallas urgently needed to get rid of Dikembe Mutombo's large contract in order to make room for future contract extensions for players like Michael Finley and Steve Nash. In return, the Dallas Mavericks gave up a first-round pick as compensation.
The Heat used their surplus salary cap space to absorb the trade and acquire the first-round pick. The day after the trade, the Heat immediately announced the waiver of the veteran center whose performance had declined significantly, making him a free agent.
"Being used as a dumping ground for junk contracts and getting a first-round pick on the side... Pat Riley must have had a really tough summer." Lin Qi chuckled.
However, this also means that Mutombo, who is almost forty years old, has entered the free agent market. Considering his age and significantly declining mobility, no title contender is currently willing to make an offer for him.
Lin Qi tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze sweeping over the last few pages of the remaining list of the free market.
His gaze finally settled on a familiar name...
Gary Payton.
Upon seeing that name, Lin Qi's mind instantly flashed back to the recently concluded Game 7 of the NBA Finals. After that loss, Lin Qi reviewed the game and truly realized what a fatal mistake it had been to trade Gary Payton last summer in pursuit of a younger team.
That decision was tantamount to tearing down and rebuilding the Celtics' offensive and defensive system, which had been in operation for four years.
To be fair, Chauncey Billups Billups is currently in his prime. His scoring explosiveness, three-point shooting consistency, and overall individual ability have even surpassed the aging Gary Payton. However, in the offensive and defensive system honed by Rick Carlisle, Billups simply cannot replace Gary Payton's role. Gary Payton, who could run pick-and-rolls with Garnett and use trash talk, tenacious defense, and relentless tenacity to tear apart the opponent's defense and mentality, was the true soul of this team's backcourt.
Now, July has passed, and the battle for players in the free agent market is nearing its end. However, this absolute backcourt core who once created a four-peat in Boston has yet to make a decision.
Suffering from serious injuries sustained during the playoffs, and after being betrayed and ousted by the Seattle SuperSonics owner, Gary Payton found himself in an extremely awkward position. Faced with opportunistic low-salary offers in the free agent market and stringent physical requirements, the proud Gary Payton felt deeply insulted, and negotiations came to a complete standstill.
A long silence fell over the office.
Lin Qi stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the streets of Boston in early autumn, his mind racing.
The Celtics ' current situation may seem stable, but in reality, they are on the verge of a dangerous precipice. The team has a total of fourteen guaranteed contracts, completely locking up their salary cap space, and they can't even afford a full mid-level exception.
"If we just patch things up, there's no way we'll be able to get Mountain San Antonio next season..." Lin Qi's eyes gradually turned cold.
In this highly competitive offseason, conventional methods are no longer effective for making substantial improvements. The Boston Celtics must make changes, even if those changes mean enduring a painful and disruptive process.
He needs Gary Payton and Mutombo back.
But if he wants to sign these veterans and free up roster spots without any salary cap space, he has to be ruthless.
"To gain something, you must pay a price."
Lin Qi muttered to himself, which meant he had to give up some very important core rotation players in order to force a breakthrough.
Lin Qi pressed the intercom button on his desk, his tone cold and uncompromising.
" Margaret, book me a flight, or contact their agent directly. I need to meet with Gary and Dikembe Bay."
"Also, inform Rick Carlisle to bring the evaluation reports for the entire team to my office. Tell them..."
Lin Qi paused, his gaze sweeping over the fourteen-man roster for Boston on the table.
"We're going to have major surgery this offseason."