"What? The Knicks agree to my terms?"
"Yes!"
The agent on the other end of the phone, David Stocker, was very excited, "Zhao, it seems they are very interested in signing you... Their general manager Scott Perry plans to meet with you. Let’s talk... I mentioned your marriage to him, and he said we can talk in person after your honeymoon period is over..."
How can Zhao Feiyang wait until the honeymoon period is over? After all, every club is conducting trading activities during the offseason. If this matter cannot be confirmed as soon as possible, who knows what will happen to future transactions?
Moreover, now is the time to take advantage of the opportunity to catch the big fish. If you miss it, I am afraid that the expected championship lineup will be gone!
"David, help me make an appointment with Scott. If time permits, I will fly to New York the day after tomorrow!"
"I hope to be able to talk to him face to face as soon as possible..."
David, the agent on the other end of the phone, quickly relayed the news.
What surprised Zhao Feiyang was that only ten minutes later, the other party called him personally. Scott, the general manager of the Knicks, was also very excited. He said he was willing to fly to find Zhao Feiyang.
"Of course, I only have one request! That is that you must leave Adrian and Zach behind. I hope to meet them both..."
"no problem."
After Zhao Feiyang agreed to the other party, he quickly told the news to Adrian and the two of them.
The two people who learned about the situation were also very happy.
It looks like the brother basketball they are looking forward to is coming!
Two days later, Zhao Feiyang met Knicks general manager Scott at a private estate in Europe. Scott looked exhausted, but a relieved smile filled his face the moment he saw the three people.
"Hey guys, nice to meet you! But I just want to say now, is there anything to eat? I want to chat with you while eating..."
Scott seemed to have no arrogance at all, and his approachable attitude made the three of them quite fond of this man who was almost forty.
Zhao Feiyang invited him into the manor and ordered people to bring out the meals prepared in advance. After Scott devoured the food, the four of them sat at a table and started talking about the future.
"Zhao, actually we noticed you very early! This time is an opportunity for us, we are willing to gamble on it, just for a championship... No, more than one, if possible we want Get more…”
"The Knicks have not won a championship in 46 years! We have always wanted to change this cruel reality..."
Scott looked excited.
The fanatical look on this white man's face made the three of them have no doubt about his desire for the championship.
"Actually, I have only been the general manager of the team for one year, and I am now in my second year... However, within my limited authority, I will do my best to build a championship-winning team... ..”
Scott's attitude infected Zhao Feiyang.
In the past, the general managers he met were all well-mannered and well-dressed in suits and ties. Of course they looked very gentlemanly and elegant. They also liked basketball, but most of them could only be regarded as liking it. Except for the late Mr. Philip, no one I had such love.
Scott is different from them. Every time he mentions basketball, there is real light in his eyes.
After Scott finished eating, he also discussed the contract with the three of them individually. First it was Zach, then Adrian, and finally Zhao Feiyang.
When Zhao Feiyang was alone with Scott, Scott also showed his sincerity.
"Zhao, I have discussed with the management before coming here. We must sign you. If possible, we are even willing to give you an annual salary of 35 million, but... if we overdraw the salary space, I'm afraid we can't build a stronger team..."
"So, I can guarantee you an annual salary of 30 million, but I'm afraid it will only be so much in the end...I know maybe other teams are willing to offer you a higher price... ..But what I can guarantee you is that Zach can definitely sign with us, and we will also find a way to trade Adrian..."
"With the money saved, we will find ways to trade more outstanding players... The Knicks are the team with the highest market value, and we are not afraid to spend money to win the championship... It’s just that you need to spend your money on winning the championship... I hope you understand!”
In the past, when discussing contracts, the other party would actually set up various obstacles, such as citing age and physical fitness, or simply lowering the price... But Scott's calmness surprised Zhao Feiyang. This guy doesn't have that much. He didn't intend to engage in a battle of wits and courage, he just expressed all this with sincerity.
"Thirty million is not unacceptable to me!"
"However, I would like to know which other players are you planning to sign?"
Faced with Zhao Feiyang's inquiry, Scott seemed a little hesitant, but after much thought, he finally told the team management's plan.
"Currently we have made contact with DeMarcus Cousins, and with our persuasion, this guy is willing to join us..."
Cousins?
Zhao Feiyang knows this former top center in the league too well! The reason why I say it was once is mainly because Cousins has suffered too many injuries in the past two seasons, but even so, he still averaged 24.4 points and 12.4 rebounds per game last season.
Although his attendance rate looks quite bad, as long as he can stay healthy, it is entirely possible for him to perform as a top center.
His current market situation is not very good. Many teams are afraid that he will continue to be injured, so they are reluctant to offer him a higher-value contract. In this case, if the Knicks can pick up Cousins, even if they just let him play in the second team, it will be good for the Knicks.
Spending four to five million to sign a 29-year-old top striker seems to be quite a bargain, even if the opponent has injury risks.
The team now has a starting striker like Kristaps Porzingis. If Cousins is in good condition and can have a chemical effect with him in the interior, then the team's interior problem should be solved!
"We are going to trade Tim Hardaway II for Adrian!"
"Tim is great, but I'm afraid he won't be so happy with you...If we want to use you as the core of the team, he may become your opponent...So , the team management considered sending him away altogether..."
"Adrian's technical characteristics can play in the fourth or third position. He is also very young. If he can come to the Knicks, then our forward line will be competitive enough for at least a few years... ..”
"Jamal of the Timberwolves is also good. He was the best sixth man in the past two years. If possible, we also plan to replace him... The team's second team is also important... ..."
Scott told part of the team's plan, and Zhao Feiyang was very satisfied with it.
Although the Knicks can definitely chase big fish in the free market in the summer, in fact, many big fish will renew their contracts with the team, and the few players who can be released are not so easy to win.
From a cost-effective perspective, the current lineup is pretty good.
More importantly, without that kind of big-name star, the integration of the team becomes easier. If all the big-name players come, if no one is convinced by each other, then it may be difficult for the team to have good chemistry.
Under the current situation, it seems worth looking forward to.
Zhao Feiyang has calculated it all, and based on his annual salary of 30 million, LaVine should be around 20 million, Adrian's contract is US$6 million, and Porzingis next season will be the last year of his rookie contract, and there will be no more before the contract is renewed. It's only 5.7 million. Cousins's words are probably around 5 million.
As a result, the team's starting lineup only cost 70 million.
Counting the team's substitute members, the team may still have a gap of more than 10 million yuan from the salary cap. If you are willing to pay the luxury tax, I'm afraid it will be no problem to sign another star worth more than 20 million.
Of course, the premise is that some of the team's bad contracts must be cleared.
The Knicks are simply the representative of the league with a lot of stupid people and a lot of money. There is simply no other team that can compare with signing bad contracts.
Last season, their salary cap was close to the league's luxury line, yet the team finished last in the Eastern Conference.
This is enough to prove that many of the contracts they traded have no value at all!
"Mr. Scott, I understand everything you said! I am looking forward to the team's plan... I also assure you that as long as you can complete the things you said before, I will You can sign with the team right away..."
"When you reach these cooperations, that's when I will officially sign with the Knicks..."
