NBA: I am the card dealer

Prokhorov is a die-hard basketball fan and he also has his own basketball club in New Orleans. When he chose to invest in the Nets, in addition to expanding his popularity, he also had some passion for the team.

But this guy is really high-profile. As soon as he took over the Nets, he threatened to win the championship within five years.

It caused quite a stir at the time.

He was a man of his words, and he immediately brought in Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. The team's record gradually improved, and they successfully made it to the playoffs in the 12-13 season, but eventually lost to the Bulls 3:4.

Prokhorov learned from his mistakes and went all in to initiate a big trade during the offseason, using future draft picks to get rid of Pierce and Garnett and form a super luxurious lineup of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Pierce, Garnett, and Lopez.

It turns out that it's useless to pile up stars.

What's more, Garnett and Pierce were already old at this time, and their personal technical and tactical conditions had declined significantly.

They fought the Raptors in seven games in the first round and narrowly got through.

But in the second round, facing the Big Three Miami was directly swept by the gentlemen.

This is the end.

Prokhorov's five-year plan to win the championship failed, and he also exhausted his future.

The biggest beneficiary is the Celtics. Jaylen Brown and Tatum were both selected with the draft picks sent by the Nets. Looking back now, the Nets are really a pure victim. They absorbed the Celtics' aging problems and gave the Celtics the future.

The consequences of the Nets' series of operations are very serious.

The team's performance continued to decline and it has never recovered since then. With no draft picks and no superstar players coming to join, there is absolutely no hope.

On top of that, the team was losing money.

First of all, there is the disastrous impact of the gamble. The team needs to pay a sky-high luxury tax. Secondly, they gave away almost all the draft picks in the next few years. Although they have some of the worst records in the league, the draft picks are not theirs.

In the same year, they suffered a loss of over 100 million US dollars. The chain reaction brought about by the establishment of a giant was that in the next few years, not only did they lose tens of millions of US dollars every year, but their performance also became worse and worse.

Finally, in the summer of 2017, Prokhorov saw the light of day: someone wanted to buy his team.

There is no doubt that at this time he just wants to get rid of this burden, hoping to make as much money as possible while the value of the TV broadcast contract is increasing.

But he didn't expect that the other party would be so difficult to deal with.

Zhuang Yan: "I have already contacted the Houston Rockets, and Alexander also wants to sell it as soon as possible, so for us, of course, we want a better option."

This is the tenth negotiation in more than a week.

Zhuang Yan emphasized the Rockets to tell Prokhorov that they have many options and the Nets are not the only choice.

Prokhorov said patiently: "This is New York. We have our own home stadium, the Barclays Center. Whether now or in the future, the Nets are definitely one of the most valuable teams in the league, so this is definitely a very valuable investment."

Prokhorov listed the Nets' advantages and explained the way of investment.

But Zhuang Yan shook her head and said, "As far as I know, you have been losing money every year since 13. Sometimes it's over million US dollars, and sometimes it's to million US dollars. What we took over is a negative asset!"

Prokhorov's eyelids twitched. Isn't this nonsense?

If he wasn't losing money all the time, would he have sold it?

And it's not over yet.

Zhuang Yan continued to stab: "Moreover, the teams' draft picks this year were swapped. The No. 1 pick that belonged to the Nets belongs to Boston. What's more terrible is that you won't have a first-round pick next year. Really! Apart from being in New York, I can't find any advantages in the Nets. If I were the boss, I would definitely not choose the Brooklyn Nets."

The knife was indeed fierce and hurt Prokhorov greatly.

Especially when it comes to the fact that the Celtics drew the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, how is this any different from rubbing salt into his wounds?

What’s even more hateful is that the Celtics did not take the No. 1 pick, but instead traded it with the Suns for the No. 3 pick, which is like blatantly mocking the Nets for being stupid.

What is most despairing is that their first-round pick next year will also belong to the Celtics.

There is really no hope at all!

At this time, an old man next to Prokhorov spoke up: "We have data evaluation. The Nets are definitely worth the price and can withstand consideration."

Zhuang Yan smiled, "In fact, you don't have to say that the Nets are only worth 2 billion. You can say it's worth 10 billion, and that's fine. Then you can do data, valuation calculations, future market assessments, and TV broadcast fee assessments. You can write reports at will, but the problem is that my boss needs to think it's worth the price. Remember one thing, only when the deal is done, that's money, that's the real value, not the assessment you tell me."

The financial analysts around Prokhorov were suddenly speechless.

There's really no way to refute that.

If the transaction is not completed, it will be useless no matter how much you shout. The market value is estimated by the market. Only when real money is in your pocket, that is its true value.

Prokhorov: "But we can't accept the price you offer."

When they first met, Prokhorov quoted a price of 20 billion, but Zhuang Yan kept talking about other things and refused to give his own price, insisting on a face-to-face meeting.

This is a big business worth more than 10 billion US dollars. No matter how rich Prokhorov is, he will not neglect it and will fly over to discuss it.

And today, Zhuang Yan finally offered her price, which is to value the Nets at 10 billion, and 49% of the shares is 4.9 million.

How could Prokhorov accept this?

He even felt that Zhuang Yan had no sincerity at all.

Zhuang Yan also replied truthfully: "If you include the Barclays Center, 2 billion is still okay. If it's just the Nets, I don't think you have any sincerity."

Prokhorov: "It's well known how much I spent. Now a few years have passed and the TV contract has been signed, and it has depreciated. Do you think it's possible?"

In 10 years, he spent 2.23 million to buy 80% of the Nets' shares, and at the same time swallowed up the Nets' debt of up to 2 million. It was indeed very generous.

Two years later, he moved the Nets from New Jersey to Brooklyn, New York, which cost a lot of money.

In 15, he spent a huge amount of money to buy the remaining shares of the Nets and bought all the shares of the Barclays Center.

This is the end.

The entire Nets and Barclays Center belong to Prokhorov. It is indeed a huge expense, more than 1 billion yuan.

Adding the losses, Prokhorov has indeed spent close to 20 billion on the Nets.

Zhuang Yan was surprised. "When you bought the Nets, you only spent about 4 million. You didn't take into account the difference of the previous debt, the team's relocation, the losses in recent years, and the premium of the stadium, right?"

Now it is 2017, the Rockets have not reached an agreement yet, and the historically high price of 22 billion has not yet been announced, so for the Nets alone, it is actually not that valuable.

You have to know that two years later, Tsai Chongxin only spent 23 billion to acquire the Nets. Now Prokhorov dares to ask for 20 billion, which is simply an exorbitant price.

Prokhorov was suddenly speechless: "..."

However, as a seasoned businessman, he would not be intimidated by Zhuang Yan's words: "So, how much do you want to spend? Just give me a direct quote."

Zhuang Yan was not bad either, and did not easily reveal her true colors: "Shouldn't you be the first to show your sincerity?"

Prokhorov thought for a moment and said, "18 billion. This is the greatest sincerity I can offer."

Zhuang Yan also gave in: "8 million, I think it's worth this much."

This time.

Prokhorov was really angry: "Then there is nothing to talk about, Miss Zhuang, let's leave it at that!"

Zhuang Yan stood up and said, "It's okay. If you want to sell it in two years, contact me again. However, we lose tens of millions every year, and it will be another 200 million in two or three years. I hope you don't include this money in the team's value."

Done.

He turned around and left without any hesitation.

Prokhorov, slumped in the chair, narrowed his eyes and looked quietly at Zhuang Yan's back.

In fact, all major mainstream media and cost engineers have made valuations for the Nets, just like the Rockets' public bidding. The media valuation is 1.6 billion. Given the Rockets' profitability and urban location, as well as the appeal of Harden and Paul, a premium of 200 to 300 million is completely no problem.

But the Nets are different.

First of all, the Nets are not profitable, but are suffering huge losses. The team's record is poor and there is no future in sight. In addition, the Nets are just the Knicks' younger brother in New York and their appeal is really limited.

Therefore, in terms of price evaluation, it is far inferior to the Rockets and is now only worth 1.3 billion to 1.4 billion.

Naturally, he didn't believe it, and from time to time he spread the word that he wanted to sell the team, which naturally attracted a group of investors. From 15 to now, many chaebols have made offers to him, but they all wanted to take advantage or had deep concerns.

For example, the Barclays Center was in Prokhorov's hands, so they were naturally worried and asked Prokhorov to sell the arena as well.

But the team plus the stadium is expensive, so when those people heard the offer of 3 billion, they just left without looking back.

A top billionaire like Ballmer only spent 3 billion to build the Clippers and the stadium. You, the Nets, also want to sell them for 3 billion. Is it possible?

Of course I'm not a fool.

So it has been delayed and delayed, and until now there is still no suitable quotation.

However, there are only 30 teams in the NBA, the quota is very limited, and there are many people who want to buy, so the team quota alone is very valuable, which means he has no intention of selling it at a low price.

But after hearing what Zhuang Yan said, he began to waver.

After thinking for a while, he finally spoke again: "Ms. Zhuang, 1.6 billion, this is my final bottom price."

Zhuang Yan stopped and smiled, "Then I'll go to Houston to ask Alexander. At least his team is not losing money, and all the shares have been sold out. There is also a very good prospect of winning the championship. I believe my boss will know how to choose."

This sentence hit Prokhorov right in the middle of his brow. He raised his eyebrows and said, "1.3 billion. If you miss this opportunity, you will miss that opportunity forever."

At this time last year, someone offered 1.2 billion. He really wanted to get rid of it quickly, and this was also his final reserve price.

Zhuang Yan thought for a while and said, "How about... just do this, you sell the Barclays Center and the remaining Nets shares together. I don't care about this kind of back and forth. I think it's quite meaningless. After all, if you sell the team and keep the arena, our boss will be worried!"

Prokhorov frowned and said nothing.

Because of this problem, many bosses indeed hesitated, which made them miss many opportunities to make moves.

Zhuang Yan used another big move: "You can use this money to invest in any way you want, which may be better than staying here."

Prokhorov finally looked up: "Two billion two hundred million, no bargaining."

Zhuang Yan: “Two billion.”

Prokhorov: "Ms. Zhuang, I have lost my patience."

Zhuang Yan: "Please! You have already scheduled the lease of Barclays Center until next year, why don't you calculate the money? Besides, its current appreciation potential is very limited. I don't think it can be sold for 1 billion in five years."

Prokhorov's stern face suddenly relaxed and he laughed out loud: "I really want to know who your boss is? He is so smart that he actually found a negotiation expert like you."

Zhuang Yan also smiled: "You will have a chance to meet him."

The smile between the two of them completely sealed the deal.

soon.

The two parties determined the final price, with the Nets selling for 1.26 billion and the Barclays Center selling for 820 million, totaling 2.08 billion. The Nets and Barclays Center were sold as a package.

Prokhorov finally succumbed to reality.

Under the state of continuous losses, any boss would be upset and want to stop the losses quickly, but Zhuang Yan's continuous attacks and devaluations still had a great impact on Prokhorov.

For example, losing money all the time.

For example, you can’t see the future.

For example, you need to advance funds to operate.

For example, investing elsewhere would be more valuable than investing here.

Like rubbing salt into his wounds.

For example, buying and selling comparison.

After a series of combined punches, Prokhorov's desire to sell reached its peak.

And Zhuang Yan said: Any investment you make with this money may be better than staying here.

It became the final weapon to defeat Prokhorov.

He suddenly understood.

indeed.

The most he can earn by investing here is some money from appreciation, and he still has to put in money for operation. That little bit of appreciation money doesn't seem so attractive. What's more, the TV broadcasting contract has been signed, and no one knows how much room for appreciation there will be in the future. In this case, it would be better to invest this money in other places, where he may earn more.

Why are you still wasting time here?

Knowing how to stop losses in time and not being stubborn is a must for wealthy investors.

This was the main reason why he changed his mind.

When Xue Liancheng received the news, he was extremely surprised.

He never expected that Prokhorov would change his mind and sell the Barclays Center and the Nets as a whole, and the price was very surprising.

For just over 2 billion, he acquired the Barclays Center and the ownership of the Nets, which is much more cost-effective than buying the Rockets.

but.

His top priority now is not to be happy, but to raise money.

The total price is over 2 billion, but he only has 800 million in funds. The gap is quite large. Even with his current fame and credit, it is not easy to raise this money.