The call was answered quickly.
"Hello, this is Greenfield."
"Hello, I am the acting general manager of the Rockets, Xu Xin."
"Oh, I know you. The Rockets have performed very well this season and are expected to enter the playoffs. Congratulations in advance."
"Thank you. Your team has been in good shape recently. I expect that this season we will not only enter the playoffs, but also go far."
Xu Xin has gradually become accustomed to business exchanges before getting down to business.
"Haha, let me lend you some good words. Tell me, what do you want from me?"
Greenfield got down to business.
"I want Trevor Ariza. He was once a member of the Rockets. His last experience was not too good. I want to bring him back to Houston to continue his relationship."
Xu Xin stated his purpose straightforwardly.
"Ariza is a very important part of our team. I won't let him go easily. If you want it, you have to pay more!"
Greenfield made it clear that Ariza can be sold, but he will never sell it cheaply.
"Don't worry, I won't rob you."
Xu Xin smiled.
"I'm offering Terrence Jones. This price is very sincere."
Of course, Xu Xin would not put all his chips on the negotiation table and give an unsatisfactory offer.
"This is not possible. Ariza's value is not comparable to that of Jones."
Greenfield quickly refused.
"Don't worry, just listen to me and slowly deceive you. If it's not right, analyze slowly."
Xu Xin almost spilled the beans, but fortunately the other party didn't notice.
"With Jones' current ability, it is true that he cannot compare to Ariza, but Jones is young. This year's lottery pick is only 20 years old. He still has a lot of potential that can be realized."
Xu Xin was confused.
"Then why did you trade him?"
Greenfield was also an old man, so he would not be so foolish as to believe Xu Xin's rhetoric, and he soon discovered the key to it.
Xu Xin was prepared for this and immediately gave the reason why he had been preparing for it for a long time:
"There is nothing to say about Jones' ability. This kid is very motivated. The current Rockets team cannot provide him with a lot of playing time. He wants to go to a team that can give him more playing time.
After much thought, your team's starting power forward this season has not yet been determined. You are trying to start with Nene, Serafin and Trevor Booker.
The results are not very satisfactory. I think Jones has a chance to get the starting opportunity through competition. "
Greenfield agrees.
This is why Xu Xin quickly negotiated the Jones deal with the Wizards after negotiating the Patterson deal.
If Greenfield knew that Xu Xin traded Patterson, he would definitely doubt Xu Xin's reasons for trading Jones.
You said Jones doesn't have playing time. Then Patterson is gone, so how can he still not have playing time?
Greenfield pondered for a while and felt that what Xu Xin said was reasonable, but as a seller, it is always right to ask for a high price and to bargain hard.
"You are right, the power forward position is indeed a point that our team needs to strengthen.
But no one knows whether Jones can play. I have to pay for a starting-level striker just to scratch a lottery ticket. This deal is not cost-effective. "
Greenfield said.
"Then what do you think is appropriate?"
Xu Xin did not choose to continue to increase the price, but turned from passive to active and let the other party make the bid. He saw the situation and took advantage of the situation.
"I want Jones and little Morris."
Greenfield was blunt.
"What? Are you kidding!"
"Little Morris has already played well. His performance this season has been very good. This is absolutely impossible. Little Morris alone cannot be replaced by Ariza."
Xu Xin decisively refused.
"Don't refuse in a hurry. In addition to Ariza, I will add a first-round pick."
Greenfield said.
"One is too little, two can be traded in the first round."
"The other first-rounder needs lottery protection."
Xu Xin thought about it for a while, and it seemed like a good deal. After all, when it comes to transactions, there are no fools among the managers of the league's teams, except for the Timberwolves. It's unrealistic to make every deal.
Moreover, Xu Xin is well aware of the future development trajectories of Morris Jr. and Jones.
Morris Jr. will be a bench gangster with strong offense and weak defense in the future, but he is not suitable for the Rockets' style of play.
Jones is even worse. He is a little prince who abuses vegetables and becomes a vegetable when he plays against strong teams.
In the 2014 playoffs, he was beaten continuously by Aldridge, allowing him to score 40 points in two consecutive games. After that, he was eliminated by the league within a few years.
Later, he went to China to pan for gold, and he didn't even become a CBA star.
"I agree. It's a pleasure to cooperate."
“A pleasure to work with.”
Greenfield showed a smug smile on the other end of the phone, but he didn't know if he would still be able to smile a year later.
That night, Wo Shen, as always well-informed, posted on Twitter:
A blockbuster deal was reached. The Rockets sent the team's third-best player, Patrick Patterson, in exchange for Jimmy Butler, as well as the 2013 Bucks first-round pick, the 2013 Bulls first-round pick, and the 2015 Bucks first-round pick. 2014 Bucks second-round pick.
The Bucks sent Tobias Harris, Enpike Udoh, a 2013 first-round pick, a 2015 first-round pick, and a 2014 second-round pick to get Patrick Patterson from the Rockets.
The Bulls sent Jimmy Butler, a 2013 first-round pick, to the Bucks for Harris and Udo.
Five minutes later, Wo Shen announced another transaction news.
The Rockets made another move, trading this year's lottery pick Terrence Jones and the team's starting small forward Marcus Morris for the Wizards' Trevor Ariza, the Wizards' 2014 protected first-round pick. , a 2016 first-round pick of the Wizards.
As soon as the news came out, it caused an uproar and the fan forum exploded.
The main force in this is undoubtedly the fans of the teams involved in the transaction.
"Oh my god, what on earth is Xu Xin doing? Patterson has played so well this season, so he just traded him?"
"Patterson could have been exchanged for an All-Star, but Xu Xin was exchanged for Butler, a guy who could only play as a substitute in the Bulls. Butler just looks like Jordan, he is not the real Jordan! "
"Upstairs, in exchange for Butler, there are also three first-rounders and one second-rounder."
"Draft picks are useless. Over the years, apart from selecting Yao Ming, have the Rockets made any other outstanding performances in the draft?"
"Originally there was Rudy Gay, but unfortunately he was traded away without even playing a game."
"Jones and Morris Jr. are also gone. I really tied Q. This is great. Xu Xin has lost the only two power forwards on the team."
"I'm really drunk. What is Xu Xin doing? The team has such a good record this season and is expected to enter the playoffs. He can obviously do nothing, but he wants to cause trouble!"
Most Rockets fans are very frustrated, and Bucks and Wizards fans feel like it's New Year's Eve.
"Patterson is here, and Hammond can help strengthen the team's weakest link. The team's starting five are too strong.
Jennings and Ellis are the main offense, Sanders and Mbah a Moute are the main defense, and Patterson is both offensive and defensive. Is Xiaopolu finally going to stand up? "
"But the price was high. Not only did it cost Harris and Yudu, but also three draft picks."
"Actually, it's okay. Hammond kept his first-round pick in 2014. 2014 is a once-in-a-decade draft year."
"Both Morris and Jones are young talents. Greenfield did a great job."
"And the first-round pick given by Greenfield in 2014 is lottery protected. If the team does not make the playoffs, the first-round pick is still ours."
