The rise of the NBA superstar

Chapter 347, The contract renewal between KD and Lee?
the next day.

Manhattan, New York.

Office of the NBA Commissioner.

President David Stern and Adam Silva sat across the desk.

The two had just attended an NBA high-level meeting together.

Stern was the first to ask, "Adam, who is Ohlahoma's opponent in the next round?"

Hearing the question, Silva felt a little dissatisfied.

The format of the playoffs has just been discussed at the meeting. Although this year's format is very complicated, it shouldn't be forgotten. This old man is probably going to be dementia.

Although Adam Silva was a little dissatisfied, he didn't show it, and replied: "The Thunder's opponent in the next round will be between the Mavericks and the Spurs. Now their series score is 2-2, and the situation is still hard to judge. .”

Stern nodded when he heard it. He deliberately tested Adam Silva and continued to ask: "Then which two teams do you think will be in the Western Conference Finals this season?"

Adam Silva replied: "LA and OKC have the greatest hope. No matter who advances to the Mavericks or the Spurs, they will be very sad about OKC. The three young people in OKC this year are not ordinary players. They all have potential. To become a super giant, the talent far surpasses these two teams."

Hearing Adam Silva's simple description, Stern smiled. Although he didn't know much about the true strength of the Thunder, the team that swept the Suns 4-0 was by no means an ordinary playoff team.

David Stern further asked: "Then which two teams in the finals do you think will lead to higher ratings, or whoever enters the finals will make fans have greater expectations? If you are a league President, what are you going to do now?"

Hearing Stern's question, Adam Silva raised his eyebrows. He knew that the old man was about to start.

Adam Silva, who knows Stern very well, will naturally not be unprepared, and replied: "The No.23 collision of 24VS1, or the revenge battle between Los Angeles and Boston, these two duels will increase the ratings, and OKC is still There is a future. They are still very young now, their fan base is not enough, and their influence in the world is not enough. As for me to operate, I will choose to wait! Wait and see what happens, wait for the opportunity, it is not the right time to make a move, It's just the first round."

Hearing Adam Silva's answer, Stern smiled again.

He felt that Adam Silva used the term "waiting for an opportunity" very well, and he deserved to be his appointed successor.

David Stern is getting more and more comfortable with Adam Silva.

David Stern said: "Well, then this year's ratings protection plan will be implemented by you, don't let me down, Adam!"

Adam Silva didn't show any expression when he heard Stern's order, and said, "OK."

Stern assigned him many tasks and tests, and he resolved them one by one. This task can also be regarded as a test for him.

The ratings of the finals are of great significance to the development of the NBA league. This is related to advertising sponsorship fees, TV broadcast fees, and global influence. All team owners are very concerned about it.

As an alliance manager, it is necessary to increase the ratings as much as possible to satisfy the advertisers and bosses.

As for who is the championship winner, what does it matter?

As the time goes.

Stern is getting older, and his outdated management style of managing the league has caused dissatisfaction among some team owners.

Adam Silva is currently the most promising candidate to be the next president.

Silva is not in a hurry, anyway, he waits for old man Stern to work for another two or three years, and the position of president will be his.

Adam Silva took a deep look at Stern, then turned and walked towards the office door.

Thunder management meeting.

Sam Presti is having a high-level meeting with the deputy general manager, team consultants, data analysts and scouts. The main content of the meeting is the main work of the team this summer.

Among the general manager's staff group, the most mysterious is the cap space analyst.

Cap space analyst is used exclusively to refer to professionals who analyze the team's cap space for NBA teams.

General managers are usually known for their connections, but they may not be able to cope with the complicated labor agreement in the NBA.

The labor agreement stipulates various contents such as salary cap, maximum salary and minimum salary, transfer rules, player contracts and draft.

The detailed rules are so complicated that it is difficult for one person to fully understand. At this time, the salary space analyst is the biggest reliance of the general manager. They play a role similar to lawyers, familiar with the rules and past cases, and provide feasibility for trading plans and signing players. analyze.

Sometimes, the specific content of certain transactions dedicated to adjusting the team's cap space is drawn up by the cap space analyst, and the general manager only needs to call and act as the executor.

In short, the analyst is the military advisor next to the general manager.

Each team's team of analysts varies in size. They scour teams and the free agency market for players to match the team's roster, find potential stocks that may be undervalued, and guide the team to sign or trade.

Scouts also play an important role, as they act as intelligence agents who will listen to the intentions of other teams.

This is valuable information in the trading market, after all, every team does not want to easily leak their movements.

The meeting is halfway through.

Presti: "How about our cap space this summer?"

Analyst: "6900 million US dollars, only 6992 US dollars away from the luxury tax of 92 million US dollars."

Presti: "Is summer enough for two max extensions?"

Analyst: "Yes, but through some transactions, we may send some draft picks to free up our salary space, or lay off staff!"

Presti: "Forget about layoffs. The boss can't spend money in vain. The transaction is also difficult. It's not that simple. There are too many big fish in the free market this summer. All teams want to make room to catch fish. I'm not sure. Before these big fish, other teams will not easily accept the burden, this year even the Knicks have become smarter."

Today's meeting gave Presti a headache.

Li Senlin's high-salary contract extension last year and the addition of Chandler made the Thunder's salary space suddenly tight.

Don't look at the Thunder's total salary this year is only 6900 million U.S. dollars, ranking No. 13 in the league, but as long as this summer is over, their total salary will definitely be at the forefront of the league and pay the luxury tax.

Because both Durant and Li Senlin are about to renew their contracts this summer, but Durant’s rookie contract expires next year, and this year he can renew his contract in advance, and it will be included in the total salary next season. Li Senlin alone is enough for him to have a headache .

Li Senlin can jump out of the contract in the summer, and his new contract salary will take effect next season.

There is no doubt that these two will ask for a maximum salary in the summer.

Which team would be better off signing two max players with cap space?What's more, Presti still wants to chase a big insider this summer.

But the current situation is that the big fish don't count on it, let's get rid of these two big guys in the team first.

Then next year Westbrook will also face the same problem of contract renewal.

Ohlahoma City is still a small city with limited market potential and a stingy boss.

What's up with Presti?
Difficult to do.

With the Thunder's outstanding record in the playoffs, other team management and fans are very envious of the Thunder's talent, and think that Presti is very competent as the general manager.

But every family has scriptures that are difficult to recite, and they will not understand Presti's suffering.

If he can't keep these few people, then he will be called an idiot by the fans, who will care about him so much.

Presti wanted to give everyone a maximum salary, but the boss refused to pay the luxury tax, and then the boss wanted to stay, so what to do next?
"What advice do you have?"

Presti was not fighting alone, so he had to throw the problem to the entire management to find a solution.

Deputy General Manager Jem: "Do you want to communicate with KD and Li and lower your salary?"

Presti took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes: "Difficult, when KD was at the beginning of the season, his intention to renew his contract was very clear, but recently his intention has become blurred. Lee's rise has affected his status. He estimates that We are also observing our attitude towards Lee, and you know Lee’s personality, he is not willing to be inferior to others, remember when KD was injured in January? 1+ in 8 games, he must also want to be the leader of the team. "

Analyst: "Why don't you talk to NIKE and ask them to communicate with KD and Lee to see if they are willing to cut their salaries and stay in the Thunder to fight for the championship together. In three years, it is not a big problem to win the championship, which allows them to maximize their commercial value."

Presti knocked on the table, shook his head and said with a smile, "NIKE? Don't count on them. The city of Ohlahoma is too small. They hope that one of them will go to New York, and the other will go to the East and West Division of Los Angeles. To compete, the commercial value of a championship is not comparable to the exposure of a big city. If Li is not Chinese, they are unlikely to sign two high-end endorsement players in the same small city. Everyone has opinions, and still want them to help? It’s good if they don’t make trouble for us.”

Jem showed a wry smile: "The boss is unwilling to pay the luxury tax. If KD renews his contract, his contract will not take effect until next year, so in fact, our total salary for next season can accommodate Lee first."

Analyst: "Well, the problem will be piled up until next summer. It will be even more difficult then. Russell will have to renew his contract and get 3 maximum salaries."

Presti frowned: "It's okay, let's have a headache next summer. Give Lee and KD a maximum salary this year. The key now is whether Lee will renew his contract with the Thunder. If Li renews his contract, Will KD renew his contract? The relationship between KD and Lee is very delicate now. They are both teammates and opponents. Remember the All-Star rookie game last year? I was almost taken aback and thought they were going to turn against each other.”

Jem: "Well, indeed, although KD's character is weak and seems to be obedient, he really doesn't like Lee, and Lee doesn't like KD too much. Russell is very close to Lee, but if he can reach the finals this year If they do, I believe Li will choose to stay, after all, the championship is the highest goal they pursue."

Scout: "It's hard to say, KD and Lee both want to pursue the MVP and the championship. If they are on the same team, the championship will be easier than winning the MVP."

Analyst:
The discussions among the management became more and more intense, and Presti watched the scene quietly.

After listening to the opinions of everyone in the discussion, Presti made a concluding decision: "Okay, once the season is over, we will immediately start the contract renewal negotiations for the two. The focus is on KD. His intention to stay on the team is more Big, Li is in second place, let Brooks and Russell try to persuade him to stay, Jem, you take the lead in preparing all the materials, and pay attention to the trend of Nike, and report to me at any time, I will We have to deal with the boss first, and a few scouts keep an eye on other teams and media trends, so don't let them poach corners."

Jem: "OK!"

Analysts and scouts: "OK"

Li Senlin's contract issues have brought huge troubles to the management.

Ask for a recommendation ticket, ask for a monthly ticket.

(End of this chapter)