"What? Thirteen million? Are you kidding me? I'm the top center in the league, I'm a player who has been on the All-Defensive Team, I've been the Defensive Player of the Year for three consecutive years, I'm an All-Star. ......."
"Dwight! That's what I answered them, but they said everything is in the past... Man, I fought for you. But now doesn't seem like a good time to sign a contract. Why don't we give up on Nick?" Come on! With your current conditions, you can definitely choose another team..."
"But......."
"By the way, the Knicks also said that if they sign with you, the contract will only be for three years. Of course, you can choose to jump out of the contract early in the third year..."
During the phone call, the price the agent informed Dwight Howard made him very depressed.
The management of the New York Knicks is not in a hurry now. After all, their team lineup is already perfect. Having Howard is just the icing on the cake. Without him, it will not affect anything.
Therefore, the price offered by the Knicks is lower than before.
This also made Howard feel very unhappy.
After all, he was once the league's top inside player. Even though he is older now, his performance in the past two seasons is still good.
As long as he is willing to bow his head, besides the Eagles, there are also some weak teams who want to get him. Getting a 20 million contract will not be a problem at all.
But now the Knicks only offer so much, and also say that the contract is only for three years. There is no doubt that the other party wants to squeeze out the last value from him.
Once the three years are over, his age will be 36! I’m afraid retirement will not be far away by then!
According to normal calculations, perhaps these three seasons will be his last three years in the NBA.
This made Howard very confused!
"Damn! Who would want to go to a broken team like the Knicks if it wasn't for the championship?"
"Jimmy, give me a little more time! I want to think about it."
Howard quickly hung up the agent's call.
He was so depressed that he didn't know what to do for a while, until Zhao Feiyang's call soon came to him.
"Hey, Dwight, how are you doing?"
After Howard answered the phone, a familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Zhao, I've been very bad recently... Damn it! I really want to play with you and chase the championship together, but there are a lot of difficulties in front of me now..."
Howard didn't show any concern and confided his troubles to Zhao Feiyang. After he finished talking about these things, Zhao Feiyang on the other end of the phone quickly responded.
“Dwight, I heard about this from Manager Scott, so I called you specifically... Man, I hope to play with you too... ..”
"Looking at it now, this matter is quite unfair to you. If I were the general manager of the team, I would definitely give you 20 million! You are totally worth the price! You are the top inside player in the league... ....."
As soon as Zhao Feiyang finished speaking, Howard became happy.
After all, being able to get Zhao Feiyang's approval is a different kind of satisfaction for him.
"Dwight, I can help you communicate with Manager Scott. I can't guarantee that I can persuade him, but I can think of a way to get him to increase the money..."
"And you don't have to worry. The exposure rate in New York is really high. Adrian and Zach have both signed a lot of commercial endorsements. Your exposure rate will definitely not be low when you come here... "
"The money that the team doesn't give you will be earned back from other places..."
Zhao Feiyang's comfort was effective, and it also reminded Howard.
Although the Knicks have always been terrible, this does not prevent them from having the highest market value. After all, in a big city like New York, players who perform a little bit can get more attention.
"Zhao, my brother, thank you for your help!"
"I can't wait to go to New York to meet you! You hurry up and communicate with that guy Scott, I can't wait to go on the court and play..."
The two finished communicating quickly.
The effect on Zhao Feiyang's side was also very high. He immediately called General Manager Scott. In the end, with his help, Manager Scott gave Howard an extra two million on the original basis.
Not only that, in order to prove that he is still capable, Howard also said that the contract is only enough for two years, and it is a 1+1 short contract, with the right to jump out of the contract in the second year.
This move is risky, but it also reflects Howard's confidence in himself. Once he can perform better with the Knicks, the Knicks will definitely not be able to renew his contract at such a price next season.
As for whether the Knicks' salary space is enough by then, that's not something he needs to consider! Anyway, what’s wrong with a wealthy team like the Knicks spending more money? They don't even have the luxury tax this season.
To create such a lineup, there is no luxury tax. I have to say that it is thanks to the rookie contracts of Adrian, Porzingis and others. Otherwise, based on the opponent's market price, the Knicks' luxury tax would be thousands. Thousands of dollars of knives.
After the two parties formally finalized the contract details, they held a press conference, and Howard rushed to New York to attend as soon as possible.
His arrival also made the already strong Knicks team stronger inside, and also caused various discussions about this signing.
Most of them were watching the excitement and were not surprised at all! Team reinforcements are a normal thing.
Besides, Howard is 33 years old. As a center player in the league, he is indeed old!
However, the reunion of the Timberwolves' "Big Four" also caused some teams to complain. Among the targets of these complaints, the Timberwolves are undoubtedly the most excited.
It's okay for LaVine and Adrian to leave, but now that Howard has also left, he still goes to play with Zhao Feiyang.
This feeling is equivalent to the Timberwolves' former championship team suddenly jumping to the Knicks!
Except for Serge Ibaka, Derrick Rose and Andrew Wiggins who have not left, the Timberwolves are basically left with nothing but a skeleton.
The blood tank was half gone in one go.
Fortunately, Daniel, the general manager of the Timberwolves, was just shouting a few words due to his status, and actually had no objections to Zhao Feiyang and others.
The team owner, Mr. Locke, on the other hand, was reluctant to spend money while raging against Zhao Feiyang and others for leaving. He even put the shackles of "loyalty" on LaVine and Adrian again and again.
"You hateful guys don't even have the most basic loyalty! You betrayed the Timberwolves..."
"How could I meet players like you? Are you worthy of everything the team has given to you? You traitors are not worthy of playing in the NBA..."
When Mr. Lock was spraying wildly, the Knicks also ushered in their second game. It just so happens that this time their opponent is the Timberwolves.
There was no estrangement or hatred between the players on both sides, but Mr. Locke obviously had a strong opinion against the Knicks. For this reason, he made a big statement before the game started, saying that he wanted his team to beat the Knicks.
"They will lose!"
"We almost won the championship last season...These guys are just a makeshift team...not worth mentioning at all! Our core players are still on the team... ...It’s just a few irrelevant guys gone, who cares?”
Mr. Locke made his stance public in interviews with the media.
When Zhao Feiyang and the other four saw this interview video on the plane, they couldn't help but look at each other, shake their heads and laugh.
"This guy is so stingy! He is the most reluctant guy I have ever seen to spend money! Even an owner like Gilbert is willing to spend a lot of money to build the team after LeBron returns..."
Raven said with emotion.
Adrian nodded too.
"If this had happened a few centuries ago, that guy Locke would have been the pirate leader on the human transport ship... I even suspect that if conditions allowed, he would have wanted his players to spend their own money to play for him... ....."
Zhao Feiyang also fully agreed with Locke's stinginess.
"If Locke were to be the boss of the Huaxia Express Station, Ultraman would have to get a red light even if he worked for him for a day..."
