In a top-level conference room in a building somewhere in Chicago, Bosh was meeting with someone.

Although he didn't know how the other party knew exactly the time he would come to Chicago and "kidnapped" him here at the airport, because of the other party's identity, he decided to turn off his phone and sit down and have a chat with him.

Because the other party is the "magician" Pat Riley.

There are many "Godfather"-level figures in the NBA, and Riley is definitely one of them. As soon as he debuted as a coach, he led the Lakers to the "SHOW.TIME" era and led the team to the top four times.

After that, he went to New York and created the "New York Mafia", fighting with Jordan every year. Four years later, he led the Knicks back to the finals, but unfortunately they lost to Olajuwon's Rockets 3-4.

Then he went to the Heat, but unfortunately because of Jordan, he could only be a stepping stone again and again until he won his fifth championship in 2006.

In Riley's own words: "I am no worse than Phil Jackson, just because I didn't have the opportunity to coach Jordan."

His confidence can be seen from this sentence, and just like Russell saying that he can beat the top five centers while leaning on a crutch, no one thinks that he is showing off.

Facing a person of this level, even if Bosh does not necessarily go to the Heat, he will still give him face.

But Riley's opening move stunned him.

This godfather-like figure first took out a small swan plush blanket from his bag and spread it flat on the conference table in front of him, and then he took out a championship ring from his pocket.

The silver-white ring with the Heat logo on the face is the Heat's 2006 championship ring.

Just when Bosh didn't understand what was going on, Riley smiled and said, "Take it, carry it with you, and give it back to me when you win the next championship ring."

Bosh finally understood.

Although he could more or less guess Riley's purpose in looking for him, after all, the Heat's first-round elimination last season could not be considered a successful season, but he really did not expect Riley to do this.

To be honest, he was shocked.

Seeing that Bosh didn't move, Riley didn't rush, but let the ring stay there, and then said something that shocked Bosh again: "I'm going to form a Big Three, you, Dwyane, and a third person, you are the second one I found."

He, Wade, the Heat's existing players, and a few more players will definitely be enough to compete for a championship, and be at the forefront.

In fact, in the history before Xu Yong's rebirth, before James made his decision, the Heat, led by Wade and Bosh, was already the second team in the league with the best odds of winning the championship, second only to the Lakers.

But now, Riley actually said he wanted to form a Big Three!

He and Wade are both at their prime age, which is not comparable to the aging Big Three in Boston.

He could even vaguely guess who the third person was, although he felt that person's personality would not allow him to join someone else's team and be a deputy.

Or is this just Riley's way of speaking?

In addition to playing basketball, Bosh is also a science and engineering man and is not so easily fooled.

"I will look for LeBron tomorrow, but of course not without preparation. We have already reached certain agreements." People like Riley can be called a "magician" in a nice way, or an old fox in a blunt way. He naturally knows the principle of speaking differently to different people and knowing how to prescribe the right medicine for the right disease.

Sure enough, after hearing Riley say this, Bosh believed it.

Although he was shocked, he couldn't help but feel a little excited.

Although the three of them have different league status, they were complete losers last season, just like the three Celtics players before them.

And they are still very young, and they can do much more than the Celtics if they work together.

"And when you go to the Bulls, you will help Rose and Xu Yong, and you may even be just the team's fourth choice, but in Miami, your status will be the same as the other two, and Miami will have three cores," Riley continued.

Bosh was obviously persuaded. Although he could tell the truth from the lies in Riley's words, one thing was right: it would definitely be better for him to play with Wade and James, who were also from the 2003 class, and help the two young men.

Riley saw that Bosh was moved, and smiled and pointed to the championship ring on the table.

Bosh hesitated only for a moment, then stood up and picked up the ring.

…

An hour later, Bosh met with Foreman at the United Center.

Forman showed full sincerity and outlined the team's plan. Bosh would be the core of the Bulls' inside line, and as the oldest player, he would also become the captain of the Bulls.

At the same time, Wade was also invited by Riley to the office where Bosh had originally stayed, along with Wade's agent Thomas.

"We will form a Big Three next season," Riley said straight to the point.

Wade was confused. He originally planned to come to Chicago to meet with the Bulls and buy a house. First, he received a call from James, asking him if he still remembered the All-Star Game and played together. Now Riley told him to form a Big Three.

He was a little confused.

Of course, what he could guess was that one of the Big Three mentioned by Riley was James.

If not, there would be no need for James to call him.

In other words, it is very likely that James and Riley have already been hooking up. This may not be a good word, but they have communicated.

But no matter what words are used, the feeling that the president of the old club is taking the initiative to contact the core players of other teams to form a team is... very uncomfortable.

"So who are those three people?" Of course Wade pretended not to know, and then asked.

"You, LeBron, and Chris Bosh."

"Chris has agreed to come to Miami." Riley added.

Wade looked at Riley in surprise. He really didn't expect Riley to move so quickly.

In other words, James and Bosh have already promised Riley and are just waiting for him?

"I'll think about it." But Wade was not intimidated by this attitude.

There are two differences between him and James and Bosh.

First, he has played for the Heat for so many years and has a deep understanding of Riley.

Just at that moment, he caught a detail. James had only told him the possibility of playing together, but he did not say that he must go to the Heat. This was different from what Riley said.

Second, he already has a championship, and he is not so eager for something he already has.

Especially when the Big Three that Riley mentioned really form a team, he feels that it will be the most difficult road.

Winning is a good thing, but winning with this lineup is a given.

It would be unimaginable if we lost.

Riley wasn't in a hurry, he just nodded in agreement.

He and Wade have differences, otherwise Wade would not have thought of playing for the Bulls.

But there is still room for maneuver.

…

After leaving the building, Wade knew that Bosh was also in Chicago, so he called him. Bosh had already finished his meeting with the Bulls, and the two met in a cafe.

"LeBron didn't say he was going to the Heat." After sitting down, Wade got straight to the point.

Unlike what others think, Wade and Bosh are in private contact and have a good relationship.

Bosh nodded. Although he was intimidated by Riley, as a science and engineering man, he thought about it afterwards and realized that Riley meant that he would go find James later, so Riley was just trying to get something for nothing.

"But I want to work with you," Wade continued.

No one is stupid. Although he has a good relationship with James, it is precisely because of this that he knows that there are conflicts between his and James' playing styles.

But unlike Bosh, Bosh can both attack in the interior and play without the ball, and the two have a high degree of cooperation.

And if it's just the two of them, it's a normal team. No one would think that they have to win the championship, and there wouldn't be that much pressure whether they win or lose.

"Me too." Bosh nodded.

To be honest, it doesn't matter to him whether it's James or not. He and James had no contact before. The main reason why he agreed to Riley was because Riley said Wade would stay in the Heat.

"So what's the plan?" Bosh then asked.

"Chicago, let's go together." Wade said directly.

"Then they still need to make a trade." Bosh said, touching his chin.

After communicating with Foreman, he already had a clear understanding of the Bulls' lineup.

Although the Bulls can theoretically afford two maximum salaries, it is only the lowest starting salary of 25% of the salary cap, and you can't give everyone else a full minimum salary, right?

So if both he and Wade go, the Bulls will have to free up two positions. In addition to trading Hinrich, they will also have to trade Luol Deng.

This is not an easy thing to do. To be honest, Deng's performance last season and the fact that he still has a five-year contract worth more than 60 million dollars make it difficult to deal with.

"I'll have a second meeting with Chicago, and if they can do it, we'll go," Wade continued.

"And if they can't?"

"Then let's go back to Miami." Wade was not vague at all.

Although he and Riley have differences, if he cannot return to his hometown, he would rather go back to Miami. He has lived there for seven years and has made a lot of friends and has a lot of connections. There is no need to go through the trouble of going to other places.

Bosh nodded. The plan worked.

Two days later, Wade and Foreman had another meeting.

Unlike the last time when he only talked about his hometown, this time Wade went straight to the point and expressed his thoughts.

Foreman was a little surprised at first, but then he became excited.

Originally he just wanted one of Wade or Bosh, but he didn't expect both of them to come.

As for what Bosh is considering, he is naturally clear about it. After Hinrich and Deng are sent away, the Bulls' starting lineup next season will be: Rose + Wade + Xu Yong + Bosh + Noah. If they find some cost-effective substitutes, he will have the opportunity to do what Krause once did!

As for the ball possession issue, let Thibodeau worry about it. That guy doesn't have much hair anyway.

…

"Where are you now?"

Xu Yong, who was training in Tempe, received a call from Yao Ming.

After learning he was in Tempe, Yao Ming said he would come over in two days.

Yao Ming didn't say much on the phone, and Xu Yong didn't think much about it, thinking it was related to the World Championships.

When Yao Ming arrived, he drove a rented car to pick him up.

"If you had told me earlier, I would have come to find you." Xu Yong said with a smile after meeting Yao Ming.

"It's all the same. It's a good time to come out and take a breath. I can also chat about the World Championships." Yao Ming rested his hands behind his head and relaxed.

By the way?

However, Xu Yong heard the unexpected key point.

The World Championships was just an unexpected event, so why did Yao Ming come to find him specially?

The two went to Chinatown.

Because Xu Yong was busy with training and competitions, he seldom came to Chinatown. He had only been there once before, when he bought a copper coin bracelet for Harden.

If there is anyone else, it is the Shanghai cuisine chef who invited Yao Ming to dinner here before.

This time they also went to the store opened by the other party.

The owner of the store is from Shanghai, and he was very excited when he saw Xu Yong and Yao Ming coming.

Although I am not a football fan, I know all the Shanghainese who are famous in the United States.

The two of them went straight to the reserved private room and chatted while eating.

At first they were just talking about the taste of the food. Yao Ming drank some wine, and then slowly they got down to business.

"I'm a little conflicted now." Xu Yong rarely saw that expression on Yao Ming's face.

Xu Yong was just a listener.

"You know I came to the United States in 2002 and have lived in Houston for eight years. The team has been very good to me during these eight years. But this year, they want me to renew a short three-year contract. I would be willing to do that even if they ask me to take a pay cut," Yao Ming said as he drank another glass.

Xu Yong also picked up the wine glass and drank.

He could understand what Yao Ming said, because Yao Ming was a very sentimental person, and he should be prepared to spend the rest of his life with the Rockets.

However, he was not surprised at all about what Yao Ming was facing now.

One reason is that the Rockets have a very stingy boss, Alexander. Look at the Rockets' performance this year. If he had been willing to spend money before, the Rockets would not have failed to make it to the finals.

The second is the Rockets' general manager Mo Gou. His name really suits him. In history, he was able to trick Harden into taking a pay cut and then turned around and denied it. This kind of person is the most loyal dog of the capitalists, and he only cares about profit.

A realistic analysis is that although Yao Ming had a good attendance rate last season, his injury is irreversible. Even if Yao Ming plays conservatively, it is unknown whether he can still play in three years.

So from the team's perspective, three years of maximum salary is the safest. Even if Yao Ming has problems early, the loss will not be too great. If it is more, one more year will mean one year late in rebuilding.

But there is really only profit in this, no humanity at all.

Forget about McGrady, but how much money did Yao Ming make for the Rockets?

"Brother Yao, I have a few words to say." Xu Yong raised his glass.

"I came here just to listen to you." Yao Ming said seriously after clinking glasses with Xu Yong.

At this time two years ago, if it weren't for Xu Yong's advice, he might have retired by now.

So even though Xu Yong is young, I am willing to listen to what he says.

Moreover, those involved in the matter are often confused, while those who are not involved can see things more clearly. The only people who can give him advice now, besides the people from Yao's team, is Xu Yong.

"I think it's time for you to leave the Rockets." Xu Yong finished drinking, put down his glass and said seriously.