After Xu Yong said this, the bosses could not hide the excitement on their faces. With Xu Yong's return, their wallets, which had been shrinking, could finally be filled again!

But after the excitement, the atmosphere in the office suddenly became weird. The bosses looked at Xu Yong as if he was looking at a huge gold mine, their eyes glowing green, unable to hide their greed and desire.

The biggest difference between Xu Yong and Jordan's first retirement is that he is now a free agent.

When Jordan came back, he still had a contract with the Bulls, so he had no choice but to return to the Bulls.

However, Xu Yong had already completed his contract with the Bulls, and when Lauersdorf wanted to continue to perform the last year of his contract, Xu Yong declined.

This means that Xu Yong is now free from any constraints and can go wherever he wants.

This is enough to make the bosses' eyes pop out. If they can sign Xu Yong, the market value will return to the level of two years ago, and doubling it is not a dream.

Tatum was a little sad at this time.

Because Xu Yong's return will involve two major issues. One is the question of where to go after his return, which is bound to be an open and covert struggle;

The other is how Xu Yong returns.

The reason why Jordan's return to the Bulls was so smooth was because there was no concept of "salary cap" at that time.

But now, even if the teams cut spending before the season, there is no team that can sign a maximum salary contract.

Because the league also has a minimum salary cap, which is the poverty line. If you don't fill it up, you will have to make up the shortfall later. This is why some teams sign contracts even though they know they are premium contracts. A premium is always better than paying money to the league for nothing.

Therefore, there are only two possibilities for Xu Yong to return in the middle of the season. One is that other teams can make room for signings, which is not easy and directly excludes many teams.

Another possibility is that Xu Yong returns to the contract with a one-year salary reduction.

However, the second option will inevitably arouse opposition from other bosses, because Xu Yong is joining an already highly competitive team, which is tantamount to directly undermining the principle of fair competition.

So when the meeting was over, Tatum took Xu Yong to his office for tea before those bosses did.

There was no need to thank Xu Yong for recommending him to be the president, because the relationship between them was no longer maintained by such polite words. After making a cup of coffee for Xu Yong, he sat down and talked about how Xu Yong could return.

"I'm not a person who likes to take shortcuts." Xu Yong's answer gave Tatum peace of mind.

Xu Yong is essentially an old-school player.

When Xu Yong came out of Tatum's office and walked to the corner of the corridor, he found an old acquaintance waiting for him there.

Before Ballmer bought the Mavericks, Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen was the richest owner in the league. Now, Ballmer has replaced Allen.

They are both big bosses of Microsoft, but Ballmer's net worth is nearly 100 billion, the highest in history. Otherwise, how can we say that he just bought a big toy when he bought the Mavericks.

Xu Yong knew that other team owners would definitely look for him, but he didn't expect that the first one would be Ballmer, and that he would occupy such an advantageous position.

When they reached the entrance, there were other bosses waiting there, but when they saw Xu Yong came out with Ballmer, they had no choice but to change the time.

Xu Yong followed Ballmer to a nearby cafe and chose a private room.

"I want to work with you." Ballmer's first words after sitting down successfully attracted Xu Yong.

Because what he said was [cooperation], not signing a contract.

"I have two options." Ballmer continued to arouse Xu Yong's interest.

"The first option is that you play for the Mavericks, and when you retire, you become a shareholder of the Mavericks. Of course, if you are interested, you can become the head coach as well."

Shares. When Xu Yong heard the word "shares", he looked at Ballmer seriously and understood what he meant by cooperation.

Many NBA team owners are not just one person. After all, such a big business cannot be handled by one person under normal circumstances. So in the general sense, when we talk about the owner of a team, we are referring to the major shareholder.

Of course, that's not all. For example, Ballmer is financially strong and he is the only owner of the Mavericks.

But now, in order to get Xu Yong to join, he made a promise first.

This can also be understood as a big pie, but this big pie is visible.

Because the NBA team is only a small part of Ballmer's assets, he would not be reluctant to give a part of it to Xu Yong.

Moreover, from a business perspective, Xu Yong's joining will inevitably increase the Mavericks' assets. Even if Ballmer's shareholding drops from 100% to 80%, the future growth in wealth will definitely be greater than the appreciation of that 20% stake.

"The second option is to become a shareholder of the Mavericks first, then choose the right time to make a comeback, and then continue to be a shareholder of the Mavericks after you retire."

"I'm not doubting your current condition, but you haven't played for more than a year. Michael is a lesson for you. The second option is a safer option," Ballmer added.

As expected, he is the former CEO of Microsoft.

This was Xu Yong’s first reaction after listening to Ballmer’s talk about the two options.

Cue Jordan also shows that Ballmer really considered a lot of details.

It's not just what he said, there's also the issue of salary space.

As mentioned before, no matter which team Xu Yong joins this season, that team will need to clear up salary space, and it will be very difficult, and the team may need to be disbanded.

After all, in the middle of the season, there are only a limited number of teams with the space to take on big contracts, and they will seize the opportunity to ask for a lot.

But if it is a new season, it will be much easier to deal with.

Xu Yong can also use the time as the boss to train and get back into shape, so that he doesn't have to make a hasty comeback like Jordan did and end up failing.

In fact, if Jordan had not completed a three-game winning streak later, the half season after his comeback would have been a textbook failure.

"I respect any choice you make. The important thing is that you are back. Even as an opponent, I am very happy about this." When the two finished their chat and were about to leave, Ballmer stood up and said to Xu Yong, and hugged Xu Yong with a smile.

Yes, Xu Yong is back and the NBA story can begin again.

Xu Yong stayed in New York for two days. He was not idle, but because bosses kept looking for him. It can be said that he was busier than the biggest Hollywood stars during these two days.

Finally he called Schwartz and returned to Chicago.

If I continue to stay here, I'm afraid I won't be able to get away for more than half a month.

After returning to Chicago, which happened to be the Bulls' off day, Xu Yong invited Butler to have a meal at the manor.

"Senior, how come you are free today?" Butler was still a little surprised. Xu Yong is now an NCAA assistant coach and spends most of his time in Tempe.

"How have you been recently?" Xu Yong did not answer, but asked back while eating.

"I am confident that I can lead them to the finals this season!" When talking about the team, Butler's eyes suddenly lit up.

Although he fell at the last moment last season, his overall self-confidence has been unprecedentedly improved.

Because of similar experiences, the media has been comparing him to Pippen, but the reality is that Pippen lost in the divisional semifinals when he led the team in 1994, and there was also negative news about the [1.8 seconds incident], but he led the team to defeat the stronger Raptors.

And you have to know that the Bulls made a trade in the middle of the season last season, and Aldridge had been with the Bulls for less than half a season.

This season, the Bulls made targeted reinforcements during the offseason and signed Rose back. Butler's ambitions are not overconfidence.

Looking at Butler's longing eyes, Xu Yong couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart.

It was like a piece of art being created in front of him. If he reached out to touch it, it would most likely shatter into pieces.

…

January 6th is destined to be an extraordinary day for basketball fans around the world.

Because on this day, two earthquake-level events occurred in the alliance.

The first thing is that Silver announced his resignation as NBA commissioner, and Tatum will take over.

This news is very explosive, because apart from anything else, the fact that he introduced gambling and made the league a mess has made fans extremely unhappy with him.

As for Tatum, his successor, he always has a smile on his face and gives people a very approachable feeling, so fans have no objection to him.

And the first thing Tatum did after taking office was to cancel the [vertical jump rule] again.

This move means that the league will experience pain again, but fans' favorability towards Tatum has skyrocketed, because although the game was ugly during the canceled period last season, fans loved watching it.

But overall, compared to the first thing, it is the second thing that really excites the fans, because Xu Yong announced his return to the NBA on his personal social media. His content was very concise: "It's Time."

Immediately afterwards, the official revealed that Xu Yong would end his short NCAA assistant coaching career and return to the NBA as a team shareholder.

And the team he will join will be the Mavericks.

In the past few days, except for the Thunder, basically the remaining 29 teams have contacted Schwartz. Even if the tax is far over the limit, as long as Xu Yong nods, they will do their best to clear up the salary space.

But after meeting Butler, Xu Yong finally chose to accept Ballmer's proposal.

If he chooses to return to the Bulls, the Bulls will inevitably need to make major changes. At least one of Adams or Aldridge will need to be sent away to have salary space, and Butler will most likely choose to leave later.

This would almost be equivalent to asking the Bulls to rebuild, which is not what he wants to see.

In contrast, going to the Mavericks not only avoids this, but Ballmer's proposal is also attractive.

It can be said that Ballmer made Xu Yong think about his life after retirement in advance. This short retirement also made him realize that he cannot live without basketball in this life.

So if there is such an opportunity, he needs to seize it.

And compared to the Wizards' owner Abe Pollin at the time, Ballmer was obviously more trustworthy.

Of course, there is another solution, which is to let Lauersdorf give up his equity like Ballmer did. However, if this is possible, Jordan would not have to choose to be a small boss in a small market team like the Wizards.

All major media reported the news as soon as possible, and social media collapsed directly because of the news.

Fans took to the streets of Dallas to celebrate Xu Yong's joining.

As a result, the NBA's valuation began to surge, and many of the NBA's surrounding industries also recovered.

More directly, tickets for the Mavericks' home game against the Spurs on January 8 have been sold at incredibly high prices.

Although, Xu Yong is still only a minority owner of the Mavericks, and even fans are not sure whether he will appear on the scene.

But such is the influence of Xu Yong.

After retiring for more than a year, his influence has not diminished, and fans are even more looking forward to seeing him.

A world in which only former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is injured has been achieved.

Well, it's time to talk about the current state of the league.

Compared to two seasons ago, there are still some big changes.

The Warriors have seen the biggest changes.

Last summer, Rich Paul once spoke out, suggesting that the Warriors management should trade Green for a blue-collar center, but Curry once again stood up to speak for Green, and in the end the matter still came to nothing.

But after entering the season, the Warriors' record gradually returned to normal and they set a historical record of 73 wins, and the contradictions were once again covered up.

But as the team was eliminated in the Western Conference Finals, the conflict broke out completely. James knew that Green would not leave with Curry around, so he chose to leave.

But even if he leaves, the Bird clause is still required.

The Warriors can only cooperate with James at this time, because if they don't, they will not only lose James due to their over-salary cap, but also have no reinforcement.

The end result was that James started his fourth and perhaps final basketball journey: school district basketball, with a four-year contract through a sign-and-trade deal.

The Warriors received Reggie Jackson and a $12 million trade exception from the Lakers in return.

In addition, the Warriors also signed Cousins, who was not available in the signing market due to a serious injury.

So although the Warriors are not the [Five-Star Warriors] that Xu Yong knows, their strength is still strong.

Then there are the Raptors.

The rise of Antetokounmpo has made DeRozan's situation in the Raptors somewhat awkward.

Especially when the team performed poorly in the playoffs last season, Antetokounmpo publicly questioned the former team leader on the sidelines.

This led the Raptors management to finally choose to trade DeRozan away from the team.

And DeRozan's final destination is, yes, the Mavericks.

As soon as Ballmer took over the Mavericks, he fully demonstrated what it meant to be a rich and inhumane person.

He directly gave Jokic a five-year, $148 million maximum salary early contract extension.

But he doesn't have Cuban's patience when it comes to Leonard.

Or you can also understand that one of the important reasons why Cuban is willing to sell the team is that Leonard has not played much in the past two seasons.

It's a bit frustrating that your core player can't play.

So after communication, Ballmer finally chose to trade Leonard.

Leonard and DeRozan swapped teams, which was similar to what Xu Yong remembered.

After the trade, the Mavericks have a core lineup of DeRozan and Jokic. Even because Jokic's big contract will not start until next season, they have also made sufficient reinforcements to the role players.

But perhaps because he knew in advance that Xu Yong would come back, he was not in a hurry to introduce a third core, but simply built the lineup around the dual cores.

So the general situation of the league this season is that in the West, the Thunder, as the defending champions, are the strongest, followed by the Warriors and Mavericks.

In the East, the Raptors have performed strongly since Leonard's comeback this season and are firmly in first place.

But the Cavaliers and Bulls are also chasing closely behind them. Add in the rising Digital Man and the still competitive Celtics, and the situation in the East is much more complicated than in the West.

On the day his return was announced, Xu Yong had actually arrived in Dallas.

Ballmer personally picked him up at the airport.

He was accompanied by the team's general manager Nelson Jr. and this season's new head coach Mike Malone.

After Cuban sold the team, the contract of the former meritorious head coach Rick Carlisle expired, and he also chose to leave the Mavericks and go to Indiana, where his dream began, to coach.

Malone, as the first assistant coach of the Bulls, was hired by Ballmer with a high salary because of his relationship with Jokic.

When they met, Ma Long seemed very excited and gave him a big bear hug as soon as he came up.

Xu Yong also had an indescribable feeling.

Bulls, Mavericks, Jokic, Malone, although he moved from the East to the West, the surrounding environment is still so familiar.

Because he had other things to do later, Ballmer left first after picking up Xu Yong from the airport. Nelson Jr., Malone and Xu Yong went to his temporary residence together, which was only one kilometer away from the Mavericks' home court, the American Airlines Center, and a few blocks away.

This was specially arranged by Ballmer. Nelson even took out a universal stadium card that Ballmer asked for, so Xu Yong could go to the stadium at any time.

The only feeling Xu Yong had now was one of smoothness, the kind of smoothness where all possible trouble spots had been dealt with.

The reason why a big boss can become a big boss is reflected in many details.

It was also at this moment that he confirmed that his previous choice was correct, because compared to the battle of wits and courage with Lauensdorf, this kind of mutually cooperative relationship was obviously more comfortable.

When everything was settled, just after Nelson Jr. and Malone left, Jokic stood at the door with a new tea set. Next to him stood DeRozan, who was smiling as if he was the happiest person in the world at that moment.

"Boss."

The moment I saw Xu Yong, the familiar name came out of my mouth.

Xu Yong was stunned for a moment, then smiled and gestured for them to follow him into the house.

…

Attached: Comments on social media after the crash recovery (partial, click on the comments section for more).

"Why did Xu go to Dallas? Shouldn't he go back to Chicago? Xu is sorry for the fans in Chicago who once supported him!"

"In eight years, he brought five championships to Chicago and brought the Bulls to the same level as the Celtics and Lakers. I just want to ask, who did he feel sorry for?" Comment from "KBforever".

"Oh, I want to see if Xu can still be successful in the West after enjoying so many benefits in the East!"

"I think it's great. The last person who really enjoyed the benefits of the Eastern Conference has retired to Los Angeles. Now it's time for Western fans to experience what a current basketball god is like."

"I really like Xu's choice. It's time to compete with the strong teams in the West. But when will Xu play?"

"Brothers, I'm back! I can finally watch NBA again!"

“Although it’s a bit regrettable that Xu didn’t play for one city, if he could prove himself in two places, I think it would definitely be a different legend.”

"Yes, I also think this time is just right, so when can Xu be on the court? Please ask online, urgent!"