Houston.

Yao Ming is a little worried now.

There is only one team that has offered him a five-year maximum salary now, and it is one he did not expect at all: the Cleveland Cavaliers.

But this makes sense.

It is said that it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality. After trying 36D, if you are asked to use a tablet, you will definitely not be able to accept it.

So given the opportunity to own a new 36D again, who would refuse?

While a five-year maximum salary carries a lot of risk, it would allow the Cavaliers to quickly make up for the market lost due to James' departure, and perhaps even more.

You should know that before Yao Ming joined the Rockets, even when the Rockets were in Houston, Rockets owner Alexander was one of the poorest owners in the NBA.

But after these eight years, he has become a middle-level boss.

And Yao Ming can still play now, especially he can package Artest.

If they really get Yao Ming, the Cavaliers' starting lineup next season will be: Mo Williams + Anthony Parker + Artest + Jamison + Yao Ming. This lineup will guarantee a playoff spot as long as Yao Ming doesn't get injured.

With the Chinese market and no worries about ticket sales, the only cost is to take two more years of risk. This deal seems to be a good deal.

But this is from the perspective of the Cavaliers and Yao Ming. Going to Cleveland always feels like entering a shopping mall toilet, pushing the door open and finding that the person in front of you hasn't flushed.

"Yao, Tom wants to meet with you."

Just when he was worried, Bill Duffy called him and told him the news.

Thibodeau?

Thibodeau was an assistant coach for the Rockets back then. He built the Rockets' defensive system and has a good relationship with him.

When Thibodeau was officially announced as the head coach of the Bulls, he sent a text message to congratulate him.

But why did Thibodeau look for him at this point?

It's impossible to ask him to play for the Bulls, right?

You know, the Bulls already have Noah, so he definitely can't go.

"When did he say he would come?" Yao Ming had no idea and could only wait and see.

“They’re already in Houston.”

Duffy's answer surprised Yao Ming again.

But since he's here, he must do his best to be a good host.

An hour later.

Yao Restaurant.

Yao Ming met Thibodeau.

Not only Thibodeau, there is also a white man who looks like Maitreya Buddha.

"Yao, how are you doing in Houston lately?" Thibodeau did not rush to introduce Forman, but instead reminisced about the past with Yao Ming first.

"Not bad." Yao Ming forced a smile, but it was obvious that his frown betrayed him.

"Is it really good?" Thibodeau asked.

"Well, it's not that bad." Seeing that he couldn't hide it, Yao Ming could only reply with a wry smile.

Thibodeau already knew what was going on when he saw this, and he knew Yao Ming well, knowing that he was a very smart person, so he didn't beat around the bush and introduced him, "This is Gar Foreman, the general manager of the Bulls."

Because Forman had only taken office as general manager last year, Yao Ming had never met him, but when Thibodeau said this, he instantly understood.

Thibodeau really came to recruit him to the Bulls!

"Hello, Mr. Foreman." Yao Ming stood up and shook hands with Foreman.

"Hello." Foreman had never met Yao Ming before, but now that he had, he was just as Thibodeau had said, very humble.

"Yao, we want to invite you to join the Bulls. You know the Bulls are a very young team now, and we need experienced players like you to lead the team." After sitting down again, Foreman went straight to the point.

"This is too sudden." Although Yao Ming had guessed it, he was still surprised when it was put on the table because the Bulls had never expressed interest in him before.

"To be honest, our previous target was Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade also wanted to join us, so to be honest, you were not in our plan at the beginning." Foreman chose to speak sincerely because he knew that telling lies in front of smart people would be counterproductive.

Sure enough, while Yao Ming was surprised by Foreman's words, his expression became much more serious than before.

"Then you know, they all chose to go to Miami, so Tom recommended you and said you are the best player for us. You are tough, calm, experienced, hard-working, willing to help young people and the team. You have all the qualities we need. I believe him because what he said is the same as what I saw."

Forman's next words made Yao Ming feel very comfortable again.

He also truly felt Foreman's business ability.

"Besides, we now all have the same goal, the championship." After seeing the change in Yao Ming's expression, Foreman struck while the iron was hot.

Yao Ming had recovered by then.

He admitted that every word Foreman said hit home with him.

The Bulls showed their potential last season when they defeated the Cavaliers in the first round. His joining can make the Bulls a serious championship contender.

Of course, the championship is also what he has always longed for.

Moreover, I can play ball with Xu Yong.

If the Bulls had never contacted him before, and if Forman had not just said those sincere words, he would have thought that Xu Yong was a lobbyist sent by the Bulls in advance!

But think about it, Xu Yong should not be that kind of person.

"But you already have Joakim Noah," Yao Ming said.

This is why he felt that it was impossible for him to join the Bulls. Noah's shooting and speed are not suitable for playing as a power forward.

As for the Twin Towers?

Don't be ridiculous. It's a different era now. That thing is no longer fun.

“He’s heading to Houston.”

Then, Foreman's words surprised Yao Ming.

You know, Noah showed great talent and potential in the playoffs against the Cavaliers last season, but the Bulls just let him go?

"This is our determination to get you." Foreman said seriously.

When Thibodeau mentioned Yao Ming to him before, he really hadn't thought about it at all.

Just like what Yao Ming thought, because of Noah.

In fact, if they were willing to include Noah as a bonus when dealing with Hinrich and Deng's contracts, they could still have done it.

However, the lineup of Rose + Wade + Xu Yong + Bosh + Kwame Brown has too weak inside strength.

As for signing a new center in the free market, since Tyson Chandler chose to exercise the player contract option, there is no one better than Brown now.

Moreover, he felt that the previous wave was okay because all five players could play, but if it was this lineup, he would have to consider the strength of the inside line and the compatibility of Rose and Wade.

So even though he had no chance in the end, he still couldn't bear to send Noah away.

But the path Thibodeau proposed, which the family had never thought of, made him suddenly realize something.

Replacing Noah with Yao Ming would definitely be an upgrade, and the improvement would be significant.

And because Yao Ming is a free agent, the Bulls can also take this opportunity to send Hinrich away and free up new salary space to prepare for subsequent reinforcements.

Of course, the most important thing is, as he said before, Yao Ming can bring the most lacking game experience to the Bulls.

This was a crucial factor in their loss to the Celtics last season, including losing Game 5 against the Cavaliers.

"I think I have no reason to refuse, but I have a personal request," Yao Ming continued.

"Contract? Don't worry, we will offer you a five-year maximum salary." Foreman is a man who does big things.

"No, I'm wondering... if we can bring Ron Artest with us." When Foreman mentioned the five-year maximum salary, Yao Ming felt embarrassed to mention anything else, but for Artest, he still gritted his teeth and spoke.

"That's no problem at all. If we can get Ron, it will only further enhance the strength of our team." Foreman said with a smile.

In fact, the reason why he was willing to give up Noah was because he knew that Yao Ming and Artest were tied together. Based on his understanding of Mo Gou, if you really want to sign Yao Ming without a deal, Mo Gou will definitely not give up Artest.

And without Artest, Yao Ming would not have come.

This is the case of "you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb". As an agent, one thing you must learn is to make choices.

After hearing this, Yao Ming had no more ideas. He stood up, held out his hand to Foreman, and said with a smile, "See you in Chicago."

…

"I'm leaving the Rockets." Xu Yong received a call from Yao Ming again.

Xu Yong was very happy when he heard this.

Yao Ming finally chose to leave the Rockets, which is definitely a good thing for him.

"Where to?" he asked immediately.

"Guess first." Yao Ming kept him in suspense.

"Mavericks? Or Lakers? It can't be the Cavaliers, right?"

The Mavericks and the Lakers are the two teams that are most suitable for Yao Ming. As for the Cavaliers, he has seen rumors about making an offer to Yao Ming.

"Neither, Chicago."

"Zhi...what?"

Xu Yong was stunned. He stood up the next second while sitting down.

Yao Ming is coming to the Bulls?

What the hell is going on!

Even though he had a wild imagination, he could not have imagined that Yao Ming would come to the Bulls.

"What? Don't you welcome me?" Yao Ming asked with a smile.

"How can I not welcome you! I can't wait for us to play ball together!" Xu Yong said with a smile.

These two fellow countrymen in a foreign country are usually busy playing games and only see each other twice a season. It is not as convenient as being teammates.

"I just met with Thibodeau and Foreman. We just talked about our intentions. The details still depend on the transaction, but I should come with Artest."

"Perfect." Xu Yong gave an evaluation.

Among the players who can take on James of the Heat, Artest is definitely the best. This buy-one-get-one-free deal is like an explosion.

The two chatted for a while about the details of the conversation between Yao Ming and Foreman and then hung up the phone.

But after putting down his phone, Xu Yong felt a little complicated.

To be honest, when he persuaded Yao Ming to leave the Rockets, including taking Artest with him, he was purely helping Yao Ming solve the problem.

The result was inexplicably that he ended up giving himself an assist.

This wave of success was truly an accidental one.

Although he was somewhat reluctant to think about Noah leaving Chicago, after all, the latter had reconciled with him and became his loyal brother.

But when he thought that it was Yao Ming who came, he felt relieved instantly.

People who achieve great things do not care about trivial matters, not to mention that he is just a player now and has no say in the whole process.

That is, I feel a little impatient.

…

Time flies and it is July 10th.

This is a critical time point in the free market, because after this day, the "July freeze" ends. [Note 12]

This also means that after this day the players will begin to sign formally.

So those players who are still considering it will basically make a decision before then.

The Rockets finally reached a deal with the Bulls after a tug-of-war negotiation.

Yao Ming signed a 3+1+1, 5-year, $100 million maximum contract with the Rockets (the last two years are player options), packaged Artest and a 2013 first-round draft pick from the Raptors, and got Noah and Luol Deng, as well as a trade exception worth $10 million.

Mo is still a dog and refused to accept Hinrich's contract. In the end, both sides made concessions. The Bulls replaced Hinrich with Deng, and the Rockets gave away an unprotected first-round pick.

After the Heat's Big Three ignited the free market, this wave of news once again caused a huge shock in the league.

The first person to be shocked was Stern, who was at the league's New York headquarters building.

Stern almost fainted from anger.

James' decision had already made him extremely angry, and there was nothing he could do to stop it even if he intervened.

Not only did James have to bear a lot of infamy, but all the hard work he had put into James wasted.

Now everything is fine, but before he can recover, this happens again.

All eggs should not be put in one basket, especially for Xu Yong and Yao Ming.

The traffic for the Yao-Xu Derby last season was phenomenal.

As a result, now the two of them are running in one team!

The league is losing billions of dollars, and much of that money is going to the Bulls.

This is definitely not what he wants to see.

But just like when he faced ESPN before, he was helpless.

Although he is the league's president, he has no power to interfere with the joining of free agents, nor can he stop a legal transaction.

…

Just as Stern was about to faint from anger, fans on social media were already in chaos, with all kinds of voices.

There are James fans who have turned on the taunting mode and put on the Heat's coat.

"If the Bulls keep Noah and sign Boozer, they still have a chance to beat the Heat. But with this lineup, two words, give it away for free."

"The Bulls were able to make it to the eighth place last year because James' teammates were not good enough. If they meet the Heat again this year, they will definitely be swept!"

"It's so funny. We haven't even started to strengthen yet and the opponent is gone. Isn't it too early to open the champagne now?"

"That's great, let's beat Kobe and win the championship, the era of LeBron has finally arrived!"

"Arrogant Face: Who else?!"

…

Some Houston fans were cursing at Mo Gou.

"We just made it to the Western Conference Finals last season, and the team actually let Yao go?!"

"This is really fucked up. Noah and Dunga together are not as good as Yao, and we also lost Artest. Oh my god, what on earth was the management thinking!"

"The Rockets don't deserve Yao Ming. I hope Yao Ming can win the championship in Chicago and give the management a slap in the face."

"This is really great. Mo Gou also said that he would definitely renew Yao's contract with a maximum salary. I want to refund the ticket!"

…

Of course there were Bulls fans who celebrated.

"Foreman is amazing. He did two things after taking office. He traded half of the team for Xu, and now he traded for Yao. The Bulls are on the right track!"

"This is Yao Ming. Although I am reluctant to part with Noah and Deng, we have the best center in the league."

"Let me correct one thing. Yao is only one of the top two centers in the league, but he can just beat another top two center."

"I am dying of laughter. The Magic management must be cursing right now. The thing their general manager wants to pray for most this season is not to meet us in the playoffs."

"Deng is a very good player. Although I would prefer Hinrich to be sent away, we won't have a problem with ball possession next season."

"Don't forget Ron Artest! Yao, Xu, Artest, why do I feel like this lineup is a bit against the Heat?"

“See you in Chicago!”

…

Miami.

James, who was in the middle of another party, saw the news after being reminded by Paul. He was stunned for a while and then covered his head with his right hand.

Yao Ming, Artest...a dead memory in his mind was attacking him madly.

At the same time, Riley, who was tasting the latest red wine on the second-floor balcony, watched the news for a long time. When he stood up, he accidentally knocked over the red wine glass on the table.

“Crash~”

With a crisp sound, the wine glass shattered to the ground.

Looking at the broken glass on the ground, he couldn't help but be distracted for a moment.

After all the calculations, how come Yao Ming was missed?

No, I underestimated the determination of that guy Foreman.

It seems that in the coming seasons, the Bulls will become a strong rival of the Heat in the Eastern Conference.