basketball boulder

Chapter 16 A Transaction Happened
Here, Zhang Weiping picked up the microphone to prepare for the interview.

A familiar figure broke into Li Lei's vision.

Eric Spoelstra, assistant coach and director of scouting for the Heat.

Holding a Heat team hat, he took the initiative to shake Li Lei's hand: "Stone, Miami welcomes you!"

Li Lei: "..."

Su Qun: "..."

What the hell, did Alston's words come true?

The seasoned instructor Zhang Weiping didn't react: "Mr. Eric, did you remember wrongly, Li Lei was just..."

Over there, Adam Silver stepped onto the rostrum ahead of schedule.

"A deal happened."

"The Mosaic team sent out Li Lei, the [-]th overall pick in the second round, and Kevin Cato, the team's insider."

"Get the Heat's forward Rafonso Ellis and guard Anthony Carter."

This isn't surprising news, as rookies outside the lottery are often traded.

The team management is used to it, and the first thing they think about is the gain and loss of this deal.

First of all, Kevin Cato's annual salary is less than $700 million.

Ellis and Carter are both more than 300 million.

The salaries of both parties to the transaction can basically be balanced.

Second.

Mosaic here.

Kevin Cato was originally the starting center for the Mosaics.

But after the Mosaic team chose Yao Ming, Cato could only switch to power forward, but the effect was not good.

So he became Yao Ming's substitute again. Last season, he averaged 17.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.9 blocks in 1.2 minutes per game.

The data is good, but it does not match his big contract with an annual salary of 670 million US dollars.

What's worse is that there are still three years left on his big contract, and his salary is getting higher and higher, which is simply a poison contract.

Li Lei is a second-round rookie who has not yet had a chance to prove himself.

Heat here.

Rafonso Ellis, a forward who averaged 5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game last season.

Anthony Carter, a point guard who averaged 4.1 points and 4.1 assists per game last season.

Both of them are role players, and the only thing they have in common is that they only have one year left on their contracts.

Then the purpose of both parties in the transaction is obvious.

The Mosaic team is to clear Cato's junk contract and save a lot of salary space.By the way, use Ellis and Carter to increase the depth of the outside bench.

In order to clear the bloated outside line, the Heat focused on cultivating Caron Butler, the No. 2002 pick in [-], and Dwyane Wade, the No. [-] pick this year. By the way, they used Cato, who still has some strength, to strengthen the weak inside line.

As for Li Lei, it was just an insignificant addition to balance the deal.

The result of the transaction is naturally a win-win situation. At least now it seems that both teams can achieve their goals.

But the Mosaic team was even more profitable.

In the next three years, the Mosaic team will have more salary space to sign satisfactory players in the free market.

And the Heat will be stuck in salary by Cato's big contract.

Therefore, in the short term, this deal is a win-win situation.

In the long run, the Mosaic team took advantage.

So, Mosaic team general manager Dawson beat Heat general manager Riley?
Then news broke that the deal was not negotiated between Dawson and Riley, but between Dawson's assistant Morey and Riley.

Morey seems to be under Dawson, but he is the confidant of the boss Alexander, and the actual right to speak is not weaker than Dawson.

According to Li Lei's understanding.

Alexander is the emperor, Dawson is the minister, and Morey is the eunuch.

Ministers are high and powerful, but they have to be supervised and restrained by eunuchs.

After all, the eunuch is the closest person to the emperor.

Alexander invited Morey, who had never touched basketball, to use him as a dog to drive out Dawson, the veteran of the Mosaic team.

From this point of view, the dog performed well and saved tens of millions for the owner in the first shot.

(Cato's total salary for the remaining three years of his contract exceeds $2000 million.)
Sure enough, after knowing the inside story of the transaction, the management of each team praised Morey.

It is indeed a business genius to think that he took advantage of the "magic fortune teller" Pat Riley in the first shot.

In the draft office of the Mosaic team, Morey was smoking a cigar, quite pleased with himself.

Carol Dawson, the leader on the bright side, was a little helpless.

He disapproved of the deal, but could not go against his boss Alexander's orders.

He knew that Morey was one of Alexander's dogs, who would take away his rights like a bone.

That night, Dawson suddenly had the idea of ​​leaving the job.

Felt like my wish to ever work for the mosaic team my whole life was like a joke.

But he has been here for too long, and the relationship of decades is really not just letting go. Dawson still wants to continue to contribute light and heat to the Mosaic team.

It was head coach Jeff Van Gundy who stood up.

"Morey, why? We agreed to choose Li Lei."

An angry coach Xiao Fan called Morey by his name.

He really liked Li Lei and was angry that Morey traded him.

Morey smirked and said, "Didn't we choose Lee...Lee what? It's just that he was traded again. Oh! Jeff, don't be angry, I was just joking."

Seeing Xiao Fan's expression of wanting to eat people, Morey quickly changed his words.

"A second-round rookie who hasn't proven himself yet doesn't deserve your anger."

"We are all for the Mosaic team. We lost a worthless second-round pick, but got $700 million, or even $800 million in salary space for the next three years. With this money, we can sign ten times more than Li Qiang. , Twenty times as many players."

Coach Xiao Fan was still very angry, but he also knew that his arm couldn't twist his thigh, and his right to speak was far inferior to Morey's.

And Morey had a point.

It's just...he hinted to Li Lei when he entered the field that the Mosaic team would choose him.

But now that something like this happened, he didn't know how to face Li Lei. Would Li Lei call himself a villain who didn't believe what he said?

Morey is a dog, he can be ashamed, but coach Xiao Fan is even more shameless.

Also, what about Yao Ming?

"Morey, you promised Yao Ming, how do you explain to him now?"

Morey smiled indifferently: "Leave it on me, don't worry."

But I was thinking in my heart: Confession?Does Yao Ming deserve him?
If Alexander didn't value the Chinese market behind Yao Ming, I wouldn't even want to deal with him.

Coach Xiao Fan finally succumbed, but he still felt uncomfortable. He suddenly remembered a saying often said in the media: NBA is a business.

He didn't agree with it before, but now he has to agree.

For the sake of profit, Morey is really ruthless, does not keep promises, and has no principles.

The NBA is a business.

Someone also remembered this sentence tonight.

Li Lei!

No matter how mature his mentality was, Li Lei felt a little sad at the moment.

The weather is hot, but I still feel chilly.

Being traded after the draft is nothing.

But Dawson gave him a promise, Yao Ming also gave Su Qun a promise, Coach Xiao Fan had hinted not long ago...

This made Li Lei think that he would definitely become a Mosaic man and would fight for the Mosaic team for four years, or even his whole life.

But now... I have been traded, which is still a plus.

It's like when you go to the canteen to buy cigarettes, the boss doesn't have any change, so he gives you a lighter to pay for the change.

Li Lei is the lighter.

Spoelstra seemed to sense the thoughts of the young man in front of him, patted him on the shoulder, and said: "The day you tried out in Miami, Mr. Riley said he wanted to get you."

Li Lei: "..."

(End of this chapter)