warrior godfather

July 7, Oracle Center.

In the conference room where the Warriors hold business negotiations, several people are sitting. Zhang Yu, Larry Riley, and Rick Wertz are sitting on one side, and Curry and his agent Jeff Austin are sitting opposite each other. , sitting next to Jeff Austin was a white man in a suit and leather shoes. In addition, there were two Warrior staff members holding cameras and standing aside to take pictures.

The white man was flipping through a paper document carefully. The others did not speak, and waited quietly. After a while, the white man put the paper document back on the table, nodded and said:
"There is nothing wrong with this contract."

Curry already had a smile on his face, but the smile was even more joyful when he heard the words:

"Of course, how could the boss cheat me!"

Jeff Austin smiled apologetically:
"Ronan, this is a routine process, there is no other meaning..."

Zhang Yu smiled and waved his hands:
"It's okay, I understand, business is business."

Jeff Austin breathed a sigh of relief, but kept saying:
"In fact, everyone signs contracts according to the standard contract provided by the league. Generally, there will be no problems, but there are often some details that cause misunderstandings, so there is such a process. In my opinion, there is no such trouble at all..."

As the agent of the newly promoted MVP+FMVP, Jeff Austin is now one of the most popular agents in the league. I don’t know how many players hope to become his clients, but in front of Zhang Yu, Jeff Austin does not Dare to be a little arrogant, for fear of offending Zhang Yu.

It is rumored in the agent industry that he has a vicious vision, and with superstar Stephen Curry in his hand, he seems to be the next super agent, and he is very envious of him.

But Jeff Austin himself knew very well that if there was a disagreement between him and Zhang Yu, Curry would definitely choose to trust Zhang Yu instead of listening to his agent.

In the past three years, Curry has signed several endorsement contracts, all of which were signed at the suggestion of Zhang Yu. There are also several contracts with huge endorsements, but Zhang Yu does not recommend Curry to sign, and Curry asked Jeff Austin to refuse. up.

Jeff Austin is naturally dissatisfied with this. After all, his income is directly linked to Curry's income. The more contracts Curry signs, the richer his agent's commission will be. He is eager for Curry to sign more contracts.

But Zhang Yu is a financial genius who started from scratch in his 20s and made huge fortunes in the financial market. How dare Jeff Austin question his vision of commercial brands?

Moreover, Curry respects Zhang Yu very much, and believes that Zhang Yu will never harm him. He obeys Zhang Yu's advice and has no involvement with Jeff Austin. He is more like a tool man, contacting businesses everywhere, and then telling Curry, Curry asked Zhang Yu again, made a decision based on Zhang Yu's suggestion, and then asked Jeff Austin to negotiate the endorsement contract or reject the invitation of the merchant.

At first, Jeff Austin was very dissatisfied with this and raised objections several times, but Curry's reaction surprised Jeff Austin. He said that he must do what Zhang Yu said, and he believed in Zhang Yu unconditionally. Reluctant to accept this reality.

Of course, Zhang Yu will not control everything in Curry. He will only give his own opinion after Curry asks about it, but he can't stand Curry asking Zhang Yu whenever he has something. He only listens to Jeff Austin on some small things. Arrangement, his manager is really boring.

Curry even said that he would never leave the Warriors. After Jeff Austin learned of Curry's decision, he felt like he was going crazy. He didn't even fulfill his rookie contract, so he promised this This kind of promise completely lost the initiative to negotiate with the Warriors. If the Warriors are too reckless in the future and force Curry away, won't he be the same as James and become the target of public criticism?

This is bound to have a great impact on Curry's reputation. After all, fans don't care what time has changed. They only know that since you have made a promise, you must keep it. Otherwise, don't talk nonsense, otherwise don't blame others for mocking .

But Jeff Austin knew that it was impossible for him to make Curry change his decision. He could only contact familiar media to publicize that Curry’s move was for the Warriors fans and to create a loyal image for him. At the same time, he also said in the report , If Curry has been treated unfairly, he will not stay with the Warriors, and try his best to make up for it.

But now it seems that this is superfluous. After the trading market opened on July 7, Larry Riley contacted him immediately, saying that he would sign a five-year maximum salary contract with Curry, and gave Curry the highest standard. treatment.

However, the official signing has been delayed until today. The league announced the salary cap and luxury tax trigger line for next season, and he and Curry came to the Oracle Center to sign the contract.

After the lawyer checked the contract, Curry took it over, signed his name in a swish, and then took another identical contract from Larry Riley, which had already been signed by Larry Riley. Li’s name, he repeated the signing process, then put the pen on the table, and said with a smile:

"Boss, now I can play for you for several years. When this contract is executed, I will follow you for more than ten years."

"Are you not afraid that I will trade you in two years?" Zhang Yu laughed.

"Don't be afraid!" Curry grinned, "I believe in you, boss, no matter what I do in the future, you won't trade me, otherwise you won't be my boss!"

"It's a good thing you met me, otherwise you would have been tricked..." Zhang Yu shook his head and laughed.

Others don't know, but he knows how Lacob treats Curry.

Lacob had the idea of ​​trading Curry, but the Bucks chose Ellis to give up; the Warriors recruited Durant, Under Armour's stock price plummeted overnight, and Curry's honor plummeted, which attracted public opinion Doubt; after Durant left, Lacob even doubted Curry's strength, did not want to renew his contract with a maximum salary, and wanted to switch to the track of training new players.

This is of course because Curry himself is an extremely selfless person and will not put himself above the team, but it is also because of this that Lacob does not have to worry that Curry will leave the Warriors, and he seldom considers Curry's thoughts , Even when Curry was still in his prime, he began to train rookies.

From Lacob's point of view, as long as there is a cash cow like Curry, the Warriors can make money without winning the championship. hope.

If the Warriors hadn't just moved into the new arena and the season tickets had been sold in advance, Lacob wouldn't dare to show off, otherwise he would never have paid so much luxury tax.

Curry can be selfless, but Lacob should not rely on Curry's selflessness to let him study with the prince.

Zhang Yu doesn't know where the Warriors will go after the end of the 2020-2021 season, but he believes that after Curry's amazing performance, Lacob dare not practice rookies anymore, but he will not give up on the future.

That is to say, Curry is too selfless to accept this team building model that requires both the present and the future. If he is replaced by any other superstar, he will definitely leave the team.

Zhang Yu is different from Lacob. The contract he gave Curry this time is a super maximum salary that meets Rose's terms.

Since the salary cap for next season is the same as last season, which is $5804.4 million, Curry's contract is the same as Rose's, which is $9400 million for five years. The first year is $30 million, which accounts for 1740% of the salary cap. The salary of each year is increased by 8% year by year on the basis of the previous year, which is also the highest standard. The last year is a player option, and the contract also includes a 15% transaction deposit, which can be said to give Curry enough respect.

After seeing the contract, Curry was still a little dissatisfied:
"Boss, what do you mean? You want to trade me?"

Zhang Yu smiled and said:

"How is that possible! This is just to show your status as a superstar. This contract must be exposed. I don't want the outside world to think that I have treated you badly. After all, you are very hot now."

"Boss, don't make fun of me. I just think that if others see this contract, they will think that I am asking for a transaction deposit. I just said not long ago that I will not leave the Warriors in the future. How does this make the fans think?" Look at me……"

Zhang Yu came to a sudden:

"You don't have to worry about this. Most of the Warriors' fans are your fans. They will only be happy when they see this contract. And since you have said so, how can I not express it? You can sign it with confidence."

After some persuasion from Zhang Yu, Curry was finally willing to sign the contract. Jeff Austin, who was on the sidelines, couldn’t believe it. He had never seen a team that offered to join the trade guarantee, and he had never seen a team that didn’t want a trade guarantee. player of!
What Zhang Yu and Curry did simply subverted his perception as an agent. Didn't they say that the NBA is a business?Why is there a little more warmth in this business?

You know, even Duncan once had the idea of ​​playing in the Magic. Kobe was almost going to Chicago a few years ago, and the relationship between Jordan and Bulls general manager Klaus was even worse. In this league, superstars and It is normal for teams to have many conflicts, and Zhang Yu and Curry's trust in each other is an absolute exception.

But this is obviously a good thing for Jeff Austin. The Bay Area is a good place, and Zhang Yu is a good coach. Except for Curry who treats him as a tool, the Warriors are doing well and can perfectly utilize Curry’s commercial value. , He is very willing that Curry will stay with the Warriors throughout his career.

Watching Curry sign the contract, Jeff Austin smiled even more:

"Ronan, Stephen's contract has been signed, shouldn't Jimmy's contract extension be discussed?"

Zhang Yu nodded and said:
"Of course, I have already prepared a contract extension for Jimmy. Larry will tell you the specific conditions, and I have to trouble you to ask Jimmy for his opinion."

……

Texas, Houston.

In a middle-class community on the outskirts of the city, Butler and Leslie were sitting on the sofa watching TV. The coffee table in front of them was filled with all kinds of high-end snacks and beer drinks, but only Leslie was eating, and Butler was just eating. After looking at it twice, although his Adam's apple rolled up and down twice, he still didn't move at all.

These things were extremely delicious when he was young, and he could not eat them a few times a year, but now, in order to maintain a good physical condition, he must control his diet, even during the offseason. Strictly implement the diet plan formulated for him by the nutritionist every day, and never touch junk food.

The two chatted while watching TV, and Leslie asked:
"Jimmy, are you going to sign a contract extension with the Warriors? At that time, you can buy a mansion in the Bay Area and live in it, instead of living in that crappy apartment."

"I didn't even know that I was going to sign a contract extension. How did you know? And the apartment is not bad, there's nothing wrong with living in it." Butler laughed.

"Look, many media on the Internet say that you will definitely be able to sign a contract with a maximum salary. It is a pity that you have not been selected to the best team and All-Star before, otherwise you can trigger the Rose Clause. That is the super maximum salary. It's a starting salary of 30% of the salary cap, and a contract of nearly [-] million in five years, tsk tsk..." Leslie took out his mobile phone and showed it to Butler.

Butler took the phone and swipe up and down. It was full of news about him, and a few of them mentioned his contract renewal. He clicked in and took a look:
"...Jimmy Butler was selected as the All-Star starter, the best third team, and the best defensive first team this year. He has made amazing progress. Although his performance in the finals was relatively average, he faced Le Brown James, it is understandable, next season, he will only be stronger than now, and he deserves a maximum salary contract from the Warriors..."

"However, Jimmy Butler has not been selected for the All-Star and All-Star before, and cannot trigger the Rose clause. His best choice is to wait another year. As long as he is selected for the All-Star or All-Star again, he will be able to sign. Supermax salary, which is not difficult for him..."

After Butler finished reading, he didn't return the phone to Leslie, but stared at the last paragraph for a long time without saying a word.

"Am I right? You'll be a multi-millionaire soon!" Leslie laughed.

He is not only happy for his friends, but also for himself. With his relationship with Butler, after Butler has money, he will definitely not treat him badly.

Leslie wasn't greedy either, he only hoped that Butler could buy him a good car, even if he didn't need $[-], it would be a drop in the bucket for Butler's future assets.

Butler bought this house as a gift to the Leslie family. Although Butler's rookie contract was not high and he had to spend nearly half of his salary on taxes, he still bought it after his rookie season. Leslie's family moved out of the Tomball community to express his gratitude to Leslie's mother for taking him in.

"Ding……"

At this moment, Butler's cell phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Jeff Austin calling.

"Jeff, what can I do for you?"

"Jimmy, the Warriors have offered you a contract extension. The conditions are very good, with a five-year maximum salary. I want to ask your opinion."

Butler was silent for a moment before saying:
"Jeff, I want to talk about a contract extension next year."