Yao Ming did not seem too surprised. Leaving the Rockets was one of the options he considered. Otherwise, he would not have come to Tempe on purpose.

But just like what he said at the beginning, the loyalty in his character prevented him from making such a decision.

"Brother Yao, you also saw what happened to McGrady last season. The fact that the Rockets are offering you such a contract now means that if you encounter a similar situation, they will never show mercy." Xu Yong said.

Yao Ming nodded and motioned Xu Yong to continue.

"And Brother Yao, you know your own health well. This year's contract should be the last big contract in your career. Even if you don't consider yourself, you should consider your family, right?" Xu Yong continued.

Yao Ming drank another glass after hearing this.

"They're not wrong," he continued.

"Yes, they are right, because NBA is a business league. But since it is a business league, they won't talk to you about feelings. If you still talk to them, doesn't it seem a bit... self-indulgent?" Xu Yong said to Yao Ming.

Because it was Yao Ming, he used more euphemistic words, but a more appropriate way of saying it was actually like licking the so-called goddess.

If others don’t care about you, what’s the point of you caring about them?

Yao Ming looked at Xu Yong and remained silent. It was obvious that he was somewhat moved by Xu Yong's persuasion.

Seeing this, Xu Yong also struck while the iron was hot and said: "Don't let loyalty harm you, Brother Yao!"

Yao Ming was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly.

"Actually, Brother Yao, you don't have to think too much. Just leave things to your agent, go around the free market and pick the best offer. If the Rockets offer you the same offer, then stay. If not, then you leave. Anyway, our main goal is the London Olympics, right?" Xu Yong continued.

Yao Ming smiled and nodded when he heard this. Yes, the thing he cares about most now is the London Olympics.

"It's Artest..." Yao Ming laughed and then felt a little emotional.

He has been in the Rockets for so many years. He had a good relationship with Francis before, then it was Mutombo, and now it is Battier and Artest.

Especially Artest, who stayed with the Rockets last season because of him. If he just walked away, it would be totally unacceptable.

"This is easy. Brother Yao, you can sign and trade. The Rockets certainly don't want to send you away for nothing. You have done your best by leaving assets for the Rockets. As for Artest, he is old now. You can ask him about his personal wishes. If he is willing, you can go with him as a bonus." Xu Yong has a flexible mind.

After hearing this, Yao Ming's eyes lit up and he finally smiled happily.

Sure enough, his trip to Tempe was not in vain.

…

“Don’t let loyalty get you killed.”

James recalled the advice Garnett gave him during the All-Star Game.

In fact, he was a little hesitant about leaving the Cavaliers, mainly from two aspects.

One is his idol Jordan. If he leaves the Cavaliers, he will never have the chance to pursue his idol again.

Second, if he goes to a new team, he may not have the same privileges as he did in Cleveland.

Because he is aiming to win the championship this time, he must cooperate with other stars.

So he contacted Wade, with whom he had a good relationship, and the place he wanted to go most now was the meeting that was about to take place.

Knicks.

The previous rumors were true, the Knicks were his first choice.

The Knicks also have three advantages: backed by New York, salary space, and a new team.

Needless to say, with New York as the backing, in terms of salary space, New York is now the only team that can offer three maximum salaries at the same time.

Yes, he did have discussions with Riley before about the Big Three, but he is such a smart person, so he will not be led by Riley. Forming the Big Three is a good idea, but New York can do it too.

Then there is the third point, the new team, not Wade's team. At that time, he can naturally become the boss of the new team with his playing style.

Soon, his agent Leon Rose took him into the conference room for the meeting.

In the conference room, Knicks general manager Walsh and owner Dolan were both there.

However, what made him feel uncomfortable as soon as he entered was that neither Walsh nor Dolan showed the enthusiasm he had imagined for his arrival.

It soon turned out to be a very bad meeting.

Walsh reluctantly expressed his welcome to his joining, although just like the first time Wade met Foreman, the topic mostly stayed outside the team's plan.

But Dolan, the boss with the worst reputation in the league, was still very unhappy with the arrogance of the capitalist, even though he had made sufficient preparations before coming.

Although he is a worker, you can't make me feel like I'm a worker all the time.

However, Dolan did not seem to notice this, or in his world, these players were just a group of workers.

In fact, he may have felt pretty good about it. At the end of the meeting, he gave James a personal CD to express his agreement with James' joining.

After the meeting ended and they left the building, James threw the CD directly into the trash can at the door.

He swore that as long as a guy like Dolan was the boss, the Knicks would never have a chance to succeed.

No one has come to this big city before. It’s not because others have no vision, but it’s what they deserve.

But when he got in the car, he became even more upset. If the Knicks were ruled out, his only better options would be the Nets and the Heat.

"Where is Dwyane now?" he asked Rose beside him.

Ross shook his head.

James frowned. Rose's ability was far inferior to that of Rich Paul. It seemed that he would have to find an opportunity to replace him later.

…

"Still no progress?" Foreman frowned as he listened to his assistant's report.

It has been two days. The Bulls asked around, but not only did the Raptors not agree to a sign-and-trade, no one from other teams was willing to take over Hinrich and Deng.

Hinrich has played as a substitute for several seasons and still has two seasons left on his contract, so it is not that easy to give him away.

But Deng's contract is at least a normal one, and he's young, so it shouldn't be so unmarketable.

"Try again." Foreman could only urge his assistant to increase his efforts. Things like trades can only be based on mutual consent, and he could not force others to trade with him.

…

On a private plane from Chicago to Cleveland.

Riley was sipping red wine while eating the freshest Chicago steak.

He turned his head and glanced out the window. The plane had just taken off and he could overlook the city of Chicago.

There are tall buildings and crisscrossing rivers and lakes.

What a beautiful and Gotham city.

In fact, long before the free market opened, he predicted that his biggest competitor would be the Bulls.

That's not only because he knew Wade wanted to return to Chicago, but also because of the competitiveness shown by the Bulls.

A young team that just completed the black eight and has a huge salary space is extremely attractive to free agents.

Not to mention that Wade is from Chicago, even those who are not from Chicago will have the same idea.

So what he has to do is very simple, which is to PK Chicago.

This is also why he chose to come to Chicago instead of staying in Miami.

Of course, this was just the most insignificant thing he did.

His first and truly effective thing was to contact James and propose the idea of ​​the Big Three.

That’s right, it’s about binding three people together, and then conveying this concept to them, making them realize that they are not actually three people, but a whole.

One purpose of doing this is that as long as the three are together, they will not be able to go to the Bulls because of James.

James was a little short of the mark and was beaten away, but he was not to the point of joining just because he couldn't beat them.

As for the Big Three running to other teams, he is not worried at all.

The most likely option is the Knicks, but as someone who coached in New York for four years, he knows the Knicks and Dolan too well.

He could even predict that the Knicks might not even get a second meeting with James.

Therefore, his move is actually to set up fences for the "fish pond" of this year's free market early on, just waiting for the fish to drill into the trap he set.

But humans are not gods after all. Even though he calculated so much, he still missed one thing, which is Wade's determination to join the Bulls.

Fortunately, he has not been in the league for so many years in vain. He knows exactly when Bosh will arrive in Chicago, and naturally he also knows the movements of the Bulls.

After learning that the Bulls were actively trying to sell Hinrich and Deng, he had already guessed that Wade and Bosh wanted to join the Bulls together.

So he did one thing, which was to reveal the Bulls' ideas to other teams in the league in advance.

The core lineup of Rose, Xu Yong and Noah defeated the Cavaliers, who were ranked first in the Eastern Conference, into the eighth place. If Wade and Bosh were added, and the key is that they are still so young, they can dominate for five years, no, ten years.

True Alliance Finale!

When other teams heard the news, they must have been very resistant in their hearts, if not outright rejecting the Bulls.

Even a team that is in a bad state still hopes to have a chance to rise again after a few years. You've made it look like there's no hope for the next ten years. If that's not objection, who are you objecting to?

Moreover, Hinrich is a negative asset, and Deng can barely be considered a positive asset but his contract is long, which in itself is not very attractive to other teams.

What's more, because of last year's Xu Yong trade, the Bulls' most valuable first-round draft pick this year has also been sent away.

What? A future first-round pick?

You are going to form a lineup for this grand finale, so who would care about your draft pick which is likely to be No. 30?

The first round and the second round sound the same, but in fact they are worlds apart.

So basically, if the Bulls call now, they will either be rejected outright or be told, "Can you add someone else? Who, Xu Yong!" The Bulls will be so angry that they will hang up the phone.

Riley finished the last of his steak, wiped his mouth with a hot towel, and stood up, smiling.

The Big Three, he had never done anything so exciting in his life, and now, it was really getting closer.

…

It is July 5th and the free market has been open for five days.

At this time, some contracts have been signed one after another.

After some teams realized they had no chance, they have already started to strengthen their teams.

Wade and Bosh were getting a little restless.

They have remained in Chicago, but after so many days, there has been no progress on the Bulls side.

Wade called Foreman to ask about the progress, and Foreman's reply was the same as before, they were still working hard.

"We can't wait any longer."

After Wade hung up the phone, Bosh spoke.

Although there is still time in the free market, if it keeps dragging on like this, even if their teams sign them, the subsequent room for maneuver will become very small.

You have to know that basketball is not a one-person sport. Even if you are one of the Big Three, you still can't play it if you get a lot of basic salary.

“Go back to Miami.”

Wade also accepted the reality.

If the Bulls could have created some space, it wouldn't have taken so long.

It has been delayed until now, and I can only say that there is basically no chance of returning to Chicago.

But he was still stubborn in the end.

He called Foreman back and told him that he and Bosh were willing to wait one last day.

the next day.

Before Foreman's call came, Wade received a call from James first.

"Dwyane, let's play together, no matter where, I just want to play with you now."

James was sincere and Wade had complicated emotions.

On one side is the long-desired Bulls, and on the other side is the "true confession" of a good friend.

He didn't agree to James immediately, but after hanging up the phone, he knew he had no choice.

"Chris, we are going to be the public enemy of the entire league next season." Wade said with a wry smile as he looked at Bosh.

Originally he just wanted to go back to his hometown to play basketball, but he didn't expect that he would be forced to take the most difficult path.

"That's not bad either." Bosh was much more open-minded.

He spent too much time as a runner-up in the first half of his career. Not to mention a championship, he only played in the playoffs twice.

This kind of life has lasted too long, and he wants to live a more exciting life.

Wade nodded.

On the bright side, at least they ended up on his team.

If he really wins the championship, his historical status should be greatly improved.

…

IMG Building, Cleveland.

James hung up the phone, stood up and picked up the championship ring from his Lakers days from the swan plush blanket.

Even though it didn't look like it was worth much, James knew its significance lay beyond its value.

Especially when Riley said he could bring many championships to Miami.

"Let's do something big." James said with a smile after putting away his championship ring.

…

After leaving the IMG building, Riley has already started the operation.

He now has two main things to do. The first thing is naturally to clear enough salary space for the Big Three to join.

According to the maximum salary regulations, each of the Big Three with seven years of service will account for 30% of the salary cap, and three people will account for 90%, which means he will almost clear out the entire team.

The second thing is that he has to get James to cooperate with him. He had done so much to the Bulls before. If other management knew that the Heat wanted to have a Big Three, he would not be able to clear that space.

Therefore, the only information he has released to the public now is to form a lineup with Wade and Bosh as the core.

In order to do these two things, he needs to first sign a contract with the Raptors for Bosh to expand his salary space.

The Raptors obviously couldn't refuse this, because if they didn't do that, they would lose Bosh for nothing. Moreover, if they traded with the Heat, they wouldn't have to accept a junk contract like they did with the Bulls.

Then, the Heat began to sell Beasley and draft picks to satisfy the Raptors and later the Cavaliers.

Beasley was the second pick in the 2008 draft. Although he did not play as well as expected, next season is only his third year as a rookie, so he has no worries about the trading market.

As long as these were done, he could collect the fishing net that he had put down early.