"I'm really sorry, Mr. Anji, I've been too busy these days."
Xu Xin said half a sentence, but An Ji already understood the meaning of his words.
"You kid, I knew you weren't interested in Pierce, but luckily I kept it in reserve."
Angie snorted coldly.
"You old fox, why are you so angry with me when you spare a hand?"
Xu Xin curled his lips and muttered.
"What did you say?"
Anji asked when she heard Xu Xin speaking Chinese again on the other end of the phone.
"Ah, nothing."
Xu Xinsan smiled.
"Hmph, it's definitely not a good thing. Anyway, I negotiated a deal with my old brother Larry Bird, the general manager of the Pacers. We already have a general framework. Now we need a third party. You have Not interested in joining?”
Angie said.
"Oh? Tell me."
Xu Xin was immediately interested. He was about to call Larry Bird to discuss the deal for Gerald Green when Ainge asked him to be the third party. Xu Xin felt that this might allow him to pay a lower bargaining chip.
"The core of the transaction is Paul (Pierce) and Danny (Granger), and now we still need to balance the salaries."
Anji said concisely and concisely.
"If you trade Paul for Danny, you'll lose."
Xu Xin said bluntly that Anji took good care of him, invited him to take over several times, and also showed his kindness to the Celtics when the Rockets visited the Celtics. Xu Xin still has a good impression of this senior.
"How come, Bird gave three unprotected first-round picks."
Angie smiled.
Xu Xin was speechless for a moment, so he asked why Anji agreed to the deal. It turned out that Bird had obtained three first-round picks, and they were still unprotected.
When I heard Angie's laughter again, I felt it was very cunning no matter how I heard it.
Bird wants to win the championship this season. Paul Pierce came to the team to play small forward, and Paul George moved to the shooting guard position. The Pacers' starting lineup is too strong.
There is "Gao Yuanyuan" Hibbert on the inside, and his partner has range and hardness. "Queen Bee" Paul's best partner is David West.
On the wings are "Truth" Paul Pierce and McGrady's successor Paul George.
The point guard is George Hill, a product of the Spurs who is in his prime and can attack and defend.
Don’t forget, there’s also a guy on the bench who loves to play guitar – Lance Stephenson.
"The only player I can play is Carlos (Delfino)."
Xu Xin thought for a moment and replied.
"That's what Larry wants."
Angie smiled.
"Okay, then we can discuss it."
. . .
Not long after putting down the phone, the three people started a temporary video conference.
"Hello Mr. Bird."
Xu Xin said politely that this was the first time he had met Bird. Xu Xin had great respect from the bottom of his heart for this crazy but equally crazy white small forward who was the top white small forward in history.
"Hello, I often hear Anji praise you. When I see you today, you are indeed well-deserved. You are a handsome person and a talented person."
Larry Bird said with a smile.
Xu Xin pretended to respond humbly, but in his heart he was cursing that you Americans also like this.
"Ange must have told you just now that I want Carlos (Delfino), the shooter on your team."
Larry Bird gets down to business.
"Yes, Mr. Bird, and who would you like to trade for?"
Xu Xin nodded and asked.
Since you have the initiative, there is no need to expose your needs and wait for the other party to make an offer to make yourself invincible.
"Gerald Green, he is a native of Houston. As you must know, Xiucheng fans like him very much. I have asked him before about his thoughts. He is very fascinated about returning to his hometown team Xiao Li."
Larry Bird said.
"Mr. Bird, with Green's performance this season and his three-year fully guaranteed contract, I really have no interest."
Xu Xin paused and continued to explain to Bird:
"As you know, James (Harden) on our team has just renewed his contract. This summer, Jimmy (Butler)'s contract renewal is also my first priority. Freeing up salary space as much as possible is what I want to do now. .”
Bird and Anji nodded. Xu Xin's reason was a logical closed loop and impeccable.
But do the Pacers have an expiring contract worth around 3 million? No.
The Celtics do, but Granger's annual salary is lower than Pierce. Ainge has an expiring contract, and the deal is even less likely to be balanced.
After thinking for a moment, Angie said:
"Xu, there must be a way. If you dispose of Asik's contract in the summer, there will be room."
As expected of Anji, he quickly found a breakthrough.
Dealing with Asik's contract is one of Xu Xin's plans this summer.
"Let me think."
Xu Xin did not answer immediately, but pretended to think. If he agreed too quickly, the explanation just now would obviously be a performance.
"This is feasible, but Asik is our team's starting center. As you know, our team's inside strength is very weak. If Asik is traded, it will be difficult to find a replacement option on the market. Again. The reporter said, I have to deal with Asik’s contract, and no matter which team takes over, they will ask for draft picks.”
Xu Xin said with difficulty.
"In this case, I will add another first-round pick, unprotected."
Larry Bird listened to Xu Xin's words carefully and said simply.
An inefficient substitute plus a first-round pick, in exchange for a 3D with a three-point shooting rate of 37% and a certain degree of defense, was within Bird's expectation.
"Mr. Bird, I'm afraid I can't agree."
Xu Xin shook his head and declined politely.
"Hey, boy Xu, it's almost done. The price Bird gave is already very fair."
Angie said pretending to be a little angry.
"Add a second-round pick."
Xu Xin pointed out a finger and said.
Just when Anji was about to say a few more words to Xu Xin, Xu Xin immediately said:
"If Mr. Bird can take over Asik's contract this summer, I will return these two draft picks in full."
Xu Xin said with a very sincere expression.
Hearing Xu Xin's words, Anji swallowed hard and swallowed what she just wanted to say.
There is indeed nothing wrong with Xu Xin's words. One first-rounder plus one second-rounder. This price is a normal price for those teams that want to take over, neither high nor low.
Furthermore, Xu Xin also said that if Bird takes over, the two draft picks will be returned in full, and neither Bird nor Ainge will have any reason to bargain.
Xu Xin held back his joy and waited patiently for Bird's answer. It was foreseeable that he would be the victor in this negotiation with Bird.
His last words were simply impeccable.
