NBA: Starting with Jokic template

Chapter 236 Offseason, Agents, and Endorsement Contracts
The first thing to do during the offseason is to find a suitable agent.

In the past few days, Lin Chuan has politely declined all commercial endorsement contracts and olive branches thrown by various teams, and decided to wait until he has an agent before doing anything else.

Based on Lin Chuan's understanding during this period, he knows best that the most famous person is Rich Paul.

As LeBron James' childhood friend and agent, although he is not very famous at present, in Lin Chuan's future, he has countless NBA players under his management and is definitely considered a top-tier agent in the entire NBA.

Although there are some conflicts between James and himself, considering Rich Paul's ability, it is possible to try to contact him.

Secondly, it is one of the most outstanding sports management companies in the sports industry.

Then you can make a comparison and decide who to choose as your agent.

Lin Chuan was not worried at all that these celebrity agents would reject him.

After all, with his current strength and fame, he is considered to be among the best in the world.

No one would refuse a cash cow like himself.

Lin Chuan put in some more effort.

Learn about the basketball agents within Excellence Sports Management.

And contacted the two on the same day.

The next day.

In Oklahoma, Lin Chuan met and communicated with two agents separately.

When Lin Chuan rushed to the meeting room that the team had temporarily prepared for him, he found that the two of them had already sat on the chairs outside the door.

"Sorry for the wait."

Lin Chuan looked at the two of them.

It only took a moment to distinguish the identities of the two.

Rich Paul and Jeff Schwartz.

The two were also ranked first and second in NBA agents before Lin Chuan traveled through time in the future.

They are all very famous and capable.

Both of them were wearing suits, but their temperaments were completely different.

Schwartz, sitting on the right, looks like a typical white Wall Street elite.

And Rich Paul on the left.

He was wearing a casual suit and even paired it with jeans.

It looked like it was walking from the street.

"Um, who's going first?"

Lin Chuan touched his chin and asked the two of them.

"I'll go first."

Rich Paul stood up first, smiled broadly and said,

"Just now, while we were waiting for you, we played a coin toss. I guessed the side that was facing up, so I got the first chance."

Lin Chuan nodded.

He was not interested in what the two had done, but since they had been separated in order, it would be convenient for him to communicate with them.

The door of the conference room opened and Lin Chuan welcomed the other party in.

“Hello, my name is Rich Paul. I just left CAA last year and am currently working at Klutch Sports Group, which I founded.”

As soon as the two of them sat down, the other party stood up and shook hands with Lin Chuan.

Only then did Lin Chuan have time to observe the other party.

A typical street black guy, even though he has become famous, his temperament is still very obvious.

Lin Chuan nodded and motioned for him to introduce himself.

“My Klutch Sports Group (hereinafter referred to as KSG) has only been established for a year, so it does not have many signed players, but it already has LeBron James, a top three superstar in the league, and has a bright future. If you choose to sign with me, you will have a lot of room for development in the future, including but not limited to media, entertainment, other sports fields and related products, and you will get benefits.”

"Moreover, I can guarantee that your contract extension will be the best and largest in the league, and you will also have many off-court endorsement contracts and commercial opportunities to ensure that your earnings are maximized."

Lin Chuan nodded, without questioning the other party's exaggerated statement.

He knew that although the opponent did not have many players at present, they would have signed as many as 34 NBA stars in the future, and would have countless All-Stars and top-paid players.

You know, even a player of VanVleet's level was signed by him to a maximum salary of 40 million per year by the Rockets!
Under his operation, LaVine signed a big contract with a final year of 48 million.

Although this contract was later regarded as a junk contract and a negative asset by the entire league, at least he got the biggest benefit at the time.

It can be said that when it comes to managing players and signing big contracts, he is number one in the NBA and no one dares to be second.

But Lin Chuan was not in a hurry to ask these questions. Instead, he looked at the other party's sharp eyes and joked,

"Paul, I didn't expect you to actually come and accept the invitation to compete for my agent position."

"Why do you ask?"

Paul was a little surprised. He didn't expect that the first question Lin Chuan asked him was not about his strategy and information, but why he came.

"Isn't your childhood friend LeBron James?"

Seeing Lin Chuan pointing at the James sneakers on his feet, he finally reacted.

By the way, these two people still have conflicts.

Was defeated last season.

During this season's playoffs, he was scolded so badly by someone sitting on the sidelines that he almost lost face.

Considering this level, it does seem a bit strange that I am here.

But...he's Rich Paul.

"Personal relationships are personal relationships, and business is business, Mr. Lin."

Paul smiled and said nonchalantly,

"Although I am his good friend, I can't give up my work just because of him."

"You are the hottest future star in the league. Being able to sign a contract with you not only means that I can get a considerable commission, but also represents my honor in the agent industry!"

Rich Paul's words were so heartfelt that he spoke his true feelings to Lin Chuan.

Lin Chuan then stopped joking and asked the other party,
"If I sign a contract with you, what are your thoughts on contract renewal and business matters?"

This question finally got to the point. Rich Paul perked up and began to talk about his strategy.

"Let's talk about basketball first. I will try my best to help my clients get the biggest contract possible based on their needs. Of course, loyalty to the team comes second, and profit comes first. After all, although basketball is pure, basketball players still need to make money in the end."

"I will negotiate contracts with each team based on their strength, their remaining space and suitability, and let them compete directly with each other. In the end, every contract given will be the best."

"Then, we can help you further screen based on what you currently need, whether it's salary or honor."

Lin Chuan raised his eyebrows.

He understands.

After all, that was not the case with his first client, LeBron James.

"It sounds like it's in the players' own interests."

Hearing Lin Chuan's words, Richie Paul chuckled and said mysteriously,
“But the development of my clients goes beyond basketball.”

"Oh? How do you say this?"

This sentence caught Lin Chuan's attention, and he sat up straight and looked at the other person.

"The average lifespan of a basketball player in the NBA is only four years. If you only focus on the game, that's too short. You'll have a very tight life ahead of you." Seeing Lin Chuan's impatient look, he quickly added,
"Of course, I believe that Mr. Lin can easily play for more than 20 years and retire when he wants to."

"continue."

"So, for the sake of my clients' future, I will also help them develop other aspects of their business, such as related product endorsements, and collaborations across other industries, such as the entertainment industry, of which the film and television industry is relatively more common. Many clients will make cameo appearances in TV series and movies under my leadership, which can increase their popularity while paving the way for their future as actors."

"Actor..."

Lin Chuan touched his chin and suddenly felt a little headache.

Although Rich Paul is very good at signing contract extensions.

It can also help him get high-quality brand endorsements in commercial endorsements.

But he still dislikes those complicated other industries.

Ultimately, he still wants to play well first.

Dividing your mind too early will be detrimental to your future in the basketball industry.

"Thank you, your strategy is very good, but I am not very interested in the film and television industry and other industries for the time being."

"Okay, I hope you can give it some consideration."

He understood why Lin Chuan did not agree on the spot.

After all, there was someone sitting outside the door.

But he was still a little unhappy, so he nodded and walked out of the meeting room.

Outside the door, Schwartz, who had just rested for a while, saw Rich Paul coming out with a rather grim look on his face.

I couldn't help but laugh secretly in my heart.

It seems that the Chinese player in the room doesn't like his working methods. In this case, my chances will be great.

"Come in, Mr. Schwartz."

Schwartz quickly straightened his clothes and went in.

The ace agent of Excellence Agency.

Jeff Schwartz.

Lin Chuan looked at the man in front of him.

He looks like an elite white person.

"Hello, my name is Jeff Schwartz, and I currently have more than 20 NBA players under me."

After a brief self-introduction, the other party began to tell Lin Chuan about the players under his command.

Including Love, Aldridge, Griffin and others.

"It seems like they are all insiders."

Lin Chuan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard the names of several stars.

"Yes, so I can give you appropriate advice based on my experience, including signing a new contract with the team and various commercial endorsements. Mr. Lin, don't worry, I have been in the sports industry for many years and will help you understand all business matters faster and more conveniently. I can also do my best to reduce your burden so that you can focus on playing."

"Of course, I will also help you negotiate everything regarding basketball-related endorsements and secure the best benefits for you."

Hearing the key words "focus on playing basketball", Lin Chuan fell into deep thought.

This was the goal he had always wanted.

After all, his main job is playing basketball. If he is distracted by business matters, he cannot maintain his competitive form.

Although the system can make his panel extremely powerful.

But basketball is played no matter what, and it is not just a matter of relying on panel competition.

Otherwise, in each season's playoffs, the award would be given directly to the team with the higher star rating.

Therefore, Schwartz's self-introduction really touched Lin Chuan's heart.

"Your strategy is quite different from Rich Paul's, which is very good."

"That's great, everyone has their own way, and he is also an excellent agent."

Seeing that the other party spoke without making any mistakes and looked like an old fox, Lin Chuan liked him even more.

This is the only way to help him negotiate with those brands.

"Congratulations, Mr. Schwartz, I have decided to hire you as my agent."

This time, it was Schwartz's turn to be surprised.

He didn't expect that the man in front of him, who was only 20 years old, would be so decisive.

"That place where Chi Paul is...?"

"Why, do you want me to consider him again and make a choice?"

Hearing Lin Chuan's joke, Schwartz said quickly,

"That's not necessary. Here is the contract. Please read it and sign it."

After reading it carefully, Lin Chuan signed his name on the contract.

"Mr. Schwartz, we will be partners from now on."

The two men clasped hands, and then Schwartz straightened his suit.

"Well, since it's still the off-season, let me help you with your sneaker endorsement and team contract first."

Schwartz quickly got into work mode and arranged the follow-up matters without waiting for Lin Chuan's reaction.

The other party made a schedule for him within ten minutes, and his efficiency was so high that he felt ashamed.

"Well, let's start with the sneakers. After all, as the best player in the league, it's not appropriate for me to not even have a pair of sneakers named after myself."

Without waiting for Lin Chuan to say anything, Schwartz opened his phone and looked for the number, then dialed the number and started chatting.
"Yes, it's me. My client is Lin Chuan. I've heard that you talked to him about the endorsement of sneakers before..."

Seeing that the other party had already made a call, Lin Chuan did not pursue what he had just said about the number one player in the league, and quickly asked,

"This is?"

Seeing Lin Chuan's puzzled expression, Schwartz put down the phone and smiled.
"Mr. Lin, the brand manager of Nike, don't worry. I can handle everything for you. When the time comes, all the contracts will be placed in front of you for you to choose."

As soon as he finished speaking, he continued to pick up the phone.
"Well, let's meet tomorrow. I'm in Oklahoma, right, so you can come here to discuss cooperation..."

Seeing the other party gave him an OK sign and said in lip language,

"You go first, I'll take care of everything."

Lin Chuan silently watched the other party talking on the phone and felt relieved.

After completing the first important task of the off-season, Lin Chuan felt like the weight on his heart was lessened and he relaxed a lot.

On the way back, Lin Chuan was browsing Twitter and found that Schwartz had posted about signing a contract with him.

Soon, Woj also confirmed this on his Twitter.

Lin Chuan suddenly discovered that the endless private messages and phone calls about cooperation suddenly disappeared.

He could even review all the messages in the background in just over ten minutes.

When he saw the number of private messages drop to 0, Lin Chuan felt a sense of relief he had never felt before.

Finally... after having an agent, he no longer has to worry about these things.

It seems that signing with an agent is really important for a professional athlete!

What on earth were I busy with before?
(End of this chapter)