When pride still matters

Chapter 588 The Way to Start the Summer
Arne Trem didn't mind bearing the blame, he also knew that after doing this series of things, the management would definitely be criticized.

But this is the will of the GOAT, who can refuse?

It’s just that the outside world doesn’t believe that GOAT would allow such a thing to happen.

Except for people like Bill Simmons who know the whole story, few people believe that Yu Fei was behind all this.

Isn't this unreasonable? How could the GOAT allow the team to trade Griffin for someone who might compete with him for the ball?

In the eyes of most people, Tyreke Evans was actually the subject of the transaction, and they ignored Klay Thompson.

And this is the key to their wrong conclusion.

Evans is just a pendant for the Clippers. It doesn't matter whether he is there or not. The key is Thompson.

By selecting Jokic and trading for Thompson, the team's plan has been a great success.

Tellem wondered what to do with Evans.

Whether to leave or stay, Yu Fei needs to make a decision.

The Clippers are not as eager to deal with Evans as the Warriors. After Pierce's contract expires, they unlocked a maximum salary space. Therefore, Evans' contract is not an eyesore to them for the time being.

After making a joke, Yu Fei still answered Trem's call.

Regarding Evans' stay or departure, Yu Fei's view is "respecting other people's wishes."

The team can keep Evans first, but if Evans refuses to accept the team's arrangements and wants to be traded, he can also be traded.

Because of Yu Fei's presence, Evans' status in the Clippers will only be lower than that in the Warriors.

According to Yu Fei's plan, there will be no place for him in the Clippers' starting lineup next season.

Is it true that the top-paid player has to play as a substitute?
This was hard for Evans to accept.

So Evans requested a trade.

The Clippers' operations then entered the next phase.

The buyer soon appeared.

Yu Fei's former team, the Milwaukee Bucks, said they were willing to take over.

Moreover, the bargaining chip they put out was Danny Granger, who guarded Milwaukee for many years after Yu Fei left the team.

Granger has been the core of the Bucks since Frye left. He defeated James' Cavaliers team consecutively in the playoffs, creating the saying "You can't beat them when Frye is there, and you can't beat them when Frye is not there", which indirectly gave rise to the birth of Decision 1.0.

Then, they returned to the finals in 2009, but unfortunately they met Yu Fei's Supersonics and lost.

That was the high point of Granger's career.

From there, the Bucks began to decline.

First Kevin Martin was injured, then Danny Granger was injured. Not long after, Martin left the team and Deron Williams came. The team briefly returned to its peak, but facing the Nets' Big Three and the already-dominant Heat, the Bucks were still a bit behind.

Granger began to be plagued by injuries, and he fell from being the most underrated small forward in the Eastern Conference and an undisputed top 15 player in the league to a point where even the Bucks were no longer willing to keep him.

He still has the last year of his maximum salary contract. Judging from the value of the expiring contract, it is not a "junk contract", but if the Bucks can trade him for Tyreke Evans, it will undoubtedly be a sure win.

For years, the Bucks' goal has been to become a playoff team.

Championship? It depends.

From a historical perspective, the four championships that Yu Fei won in five years were only a brief blessing from God to this poor city.

For the team and the owner, the Bucks can't be too weak, otherwise no one will watch them, but they can't be too strong, because it's too expensive to own a strong team. Without a money-making machine like GOAT, the Bucks' attitude is to be content with a small fortune.

Evans doesn't do much for the Clippers, but for the Bucks, he's a young core they can build around.

Using Evans to trade for Granger, who has been eliminated, is obviously not good for the Clippers. Tellem doesn't want to become a target of public criticism, so he asked the Bucks to give him more chips.

The Bucks were also very straightforward. On top of the original picks, they gave the Clippers three extra second-round picks.

This looked like the last bit of value Tellem could squeeze out of the Bucks.

He reported the negotiation results to Yu Fei.

Yu Fei's response was brief: "You decide."

This attitude, which is similar to "I support you spiritually", cannot help Trem escape from the vortex of public opinion.

After the deal was done, Clippers fans went crazy.

What could be worse than trading Griffin for Evans?

The answer is: trade Evans for Danny Granger, who is no longer suited to NBA intensity. Even though he only has one year left on his contract, do the Clippers really need to unlock more space? Are they ready to waste another season on the GOAT?

Arne Trem instantly became a hot search term.

Celebrities in Los Angeles began to complain about the Clippers' operations.

Rap king "Dog Lord" Snoop said that he had originally planned to buy a VIP box ticket for the Clippers next season, but now he thinks it's better to give up.

"Compared to the Lakers, the Clippers look unreliable."

The Los Angeles Times criticized Tellem harshly: "The Clippers have proven that an incompetent general manager can destroy a team in just a few days."

"Blake Griffin equals 3 first-round picks, Klay Thompson and Danny Granger? WOW~~~"

The Orange County Register, as the Lakers' mouthpiece, was sarcastic about the Clippers.

On social media, Yu Fei's fans were furious.

They thought Tellem was ruining the GOAT's career.

GOAT gave up his "empire" in Seattle and came to Los Angeles to "help the poor", but got this result?
If someone tells them that "everything Tellem did was tacitly approved by the GOAT", they will be even more angry. From their perspective, this is impossible. They firmly believe that the person they follow is in a weak position. Even if they are involved, they must have been deceived by the team and made a wrong judgment.

Bill Simmons' sarcasm brought the anger of Clippers supporters to a climax: "This is a deal that would make Donald Sterling smile, proving that the Clippers' suffering is not just about Sterling. There is indeed something wrong with this team."

Just before the offseason, the Clippers' fan group launched a march to recall Tellem.

Yu Fei didn't expect the matter to become so serious.

It looks like real big cities know how to have fun.

When he was remotely controlling the teams in Seattle and Milwaukee, the outside world didn't understand either, and there were many voices like the "Seattle/Milwaukee pill" voices like the current one.

But the fans were restrained.

They are totally different from the Clippers fans in this incident. They believe they have the right to manage the team just like NBA stars, and will make a big fuss once they are not satisfied.

The pressure on Triumph can be imagined.

Even Steve Ballmer called to inquire, because the Clippers' recent actions not only reduced the team's market value, but also affected the team's merchandise sales.

If things continue like this, maybe Tellem will sit in the GM position until Klay Thompson clears his name, just like Sam Hinkie, who is destined to not be able to see the process turn into results.

Yu Fei knew that he had to do something to calm people down.

So, Yu Fei first said on Twitter: "Arn and I have worked together for many years. I know he is one of the best general managers in the league. Everything he does takes into account not only the present but also the future. Please rest assured that our goal is to go to the Land of Wishes next season. The Clippers will not stop because of anything."

Seeing GOAT so understanding and righteous, fans were overwhelmed.

"Arne Tellem of CTM!"

"Frye didn't do anything wrong, why treat him like this! Fuck the world!"

"Arne Trem is out!"

Yu Fei's tweet seemed to have backfired.

But this is exactly the effect he wanted. It seemed like he was selling misery in an inspiring way, but in fact it was to increase the heat of the matter again, and then let Tellem come to Miami.

At this moment, Miami is holding a championship celebration. Although the celebration is joyful and the Heat's owner also said that he will do everything possible to retain the lineup, in fact, everyone knows that if they are willing to spend money, they don't need to "do everything possible" to retain the lineup that won two consecutive championships.

Only if you are unwilling to continue spending big money do you need to explore all possible options.

Yao Ming showed his usual sense of humor at the ceremony, making the audience laugh several times.

"This is the best team I've ever had in my life, and I'd 100% be willing to come back and compete for a three-peat if I could!"

If possible?

The Heat's ceremony is over and Yao Ming has become a free agent.

Yao's team said that Yao Ming's primary goal is to renew his contract with the Heat, so he will give priority to listening to Miami's offer.

Yao Ming has made it clear, now it depends on the Heat's sincerity.

The goal of Yao's team is to fully activate the "Yu Fei Clause".

After all, Yao Ming was selected for the first team for two consecutive years and led the team to win the championship. He is qualified to activate the full version of the Yu Fei clause.

According to the salary space for the new season, Yao Ming can sign a contract of nearly 4 years and 9000 million US dollars.

For 34-year-old Yao Ming, this is a decent retirement contract.

However, Yao Ming only needs to consider how to provide for himself in his old age, while the Heat have a lot more to consider.

First of all, the contract renewal means continuing to bear four maximum salaries. They have been playing in this state this year. Although they won the championship, judging from the financial report, they actually lost money.

Therefore, this is actually a move that loses money but gains publicity.

Secondly, Yao Ming is already 34 years old.

No one can guarantee that he will still be in this state next year. Even if he is, what about the year after? What about when he reaches the age of 35, the watershed of superstardom? What is certain is that this will be a contract that is seriously overpriced starting from the third year.

Then there is another point that must be considered.

The Heat's rising star Jimmy Butler will enter the fourth year of his rookie contract next season. Judging from his performance last season, he will need a maximum salary to keep him.

After renewing Yao Ming's contract, the Heat will also renew Butler's contract, and by then they will have five maximum salary contracts.
Considering the possible luxury tax, Ballmer would have to frown if he were to spend this money.

After exploring all so-called options - in fact, considering a series of consequences of renewing Yao Ming's contract - the Heat decided to bite the bullet and talk about feelings with Yao's team.

Having feelings is a good thing, but it costs money.

Yao's team said: "Just tell me how big a contract you want to give."

For Yao Ming, a contract with an annual salary of around 1500 million US dollars is suitable. For the sake of both parties, he can take a pay cut.

But the Heat misjudged the value of favor.

They offered him a four-year, $4 million contract.

Compared to the maximum contract Yao Ming could get, this contract is reduced by nearly half.

Yao Ming is a decent man. He would not cry out for disrespect like those black players who saw offers that were seriously not in line with their expectations. He smiled and said, "I'll give you a second chance to make an offer."

Then, the Heat only considered it and decided to keep their original offer unchanged.

So the negotiations between Yao's team and the Heat broke down.

Yao Ming sent a farewell text message to each of his Heat teammates, and then announced that he would listen to offers in the free market.

Perhaps only Supersonics fans can understand this feeling.

The 2012 SuperSonics were in the same situation as the Heat.

They won four consecutive championships, then the team let go of Bosh and Jordan, traded Durant, and the towering empire was cut in half.

From this point of view, the NBA's antitrust efforts are successful.

No team will be able to hold on to the championship for long anymore, because when they win the championship, the players' morale will rise and they want more salary and greater tactical position.

Even if they can overcome the basketball negotiations, they can't break the gravity of reality.

Yao Ming entered the free market, basically announcing the end of the Heat's invincible era. They made it to the finals for three consecutive years, winning two championships and one runner-up, just like the Rockets in the 90s, briefly taking over the power vacuum in the league.

But from now on, things will go back to square one.

There are three teams pursuing Yao Ming enthusiastically.

One is the Warriors. If Yao Ming is willing to join, they will not hesitate to deal with Joe Johnson's contract.

One is the Cavaliers. Kevin Garnett has announced that he will leave the Cavaliers.

Garnett is old and the Cavaliers don't seem to have any hope of winning the championship, so the two sides parted ways amicably.

At the same time, Garnett's departure created salary space for the Cavaliers, allowing them to have the spare capacity to pursue the top players on the market.

Judging from his style, Yao Ming is the type of player that strong teams need most.

James dreams of seeing Yao Ming join the Cavaliers.

However, their competitor is the Clippers.

In the era of star empowerment, the role of management in recruiting stars is seriously inferior to that of the stars within the team.

A star player with connections can easily form a star team.

Looking at the current league, there are not many stars who have a good relationship with Yu Fei, and Yao Ming is one of them.

Most Chinese fans will put Yu Fei and Yao Ming on the same team in 2K games.

This is a dream.

Now this dream has the possibility of coming true.

Yu Fei did not try to impress Yao Ming with his personal relationship. On the contrary, he called Trem in a very formal manner and made an appointment with Yao Ming to meet in Miami.

Then, the two camps began to talk endlessly about the possibility of joining, the various matters after joining, and the advantages of Los Angeles in terms of education compared to Miami.

The negotiations lasted for 20 minutes, which were basically official exchanges, and then Yao Ming said something.

"If you want me to go to the Clippers, just one sentence is enough." Yao Ming said to Fei, "Do you have room?"

Yu Fei said: "Is 1700 million enough?"

Yao Ming showed his signature smile: "That's fucking enough!"

The negotiations have come to a conclusion.

Yu Fei and Yao Ming are very familiar with each other and have sufficient basis of mutual trust. The only thing left is the signing process.

If the Clippers sign Yao Ming without a deal, they can only give him an annual salary of 1500 million, but if they trade him, they can inherit the Heat's bird rights and "Yu Fei Clause."

Out of absolute respect for Yao Ming and Yao Ming's feelings for Miami, he hopes to transfer via a sign-and-trade so that at least something can be left for the Heat.

The Clippers then contacted the Heat.

The Clippers themselves have the conditions to sign Yao Ming without a deal, and the sign-and-trade is purely to take care of Yao Ming's wishes. The Heat are naturally well aware of this and they have no objection.

Yao Ming was about to leave, and before he left he was willing to consider the team, which shows that there was true love between the two parties. Unfortunately, the situation was such that they had to break up.

The two sides quickly reached an agreement on the signing.

On July 7, the day before the free market opened, ESPN's NBA expert Mark Stein broke the news: "The Heat signed a four-year, $5 million contract with Yao Ming and traded him to the Clippers in exchange for the 4 first-round draft pick and the 8000 first-round draft pick swap right (from the Warriors)!"

Subsequently, both teams officially confirmed the authenticity of the news.

(End of this chapter)