"You still, Paul, I watched the last two games you led the team. Congratulations," a very magnetic voice came from the phone, "Then why did you call me today? Renew Gooden's contract.
Well, he still has two years of rookie contract."
"Of course not," Edison paused, "You may not know that I will still be the team's head coach next season, so I want to sign Nash."
"Congratulations first. However, it's not easy for Nash. He is still waiting to renew his contract with the Mavericks."
"Bill, don't tell me this. The news I got is that Cuban has no plans to renew Nash's contract unless Nash can bear to continue to receive his current annual salary. And now the Phoenix Suns are also chasing Nash. To put it bluntly, Phoenix
What are the conditions and see if I can come up with something better." Because Bill Duffy was a sincere person, Edison simply decided to get straight to the point.
"Haha, as expected of Paul, I can't hide anything from you." Bill Duffy's hearty laughter came over the phone, "Yes, Cuban does not intend to renew Nash's contract, and the Suns did contact me, but
That quotation has no reference, just tell me your quotation."
"Okay, 65 million for six years, with annual salary decreases, and a team option for the last year. How can I be sincere enough?"
After Bill Duffy heard this, his first reaction was that Paul was not joking. You must know that this contract far exceeded Nash and Bill Duffy's expectations. Originally, they planned to ask for an annual salary of tens of millions. In reality, the Suns finally
It was also under the forced request of coach Anthony that he was finally signed for 63 million in 6 years. The contract given when communicating with Bill Duffy before was a tens of millions contract. Now it is better, the Magic directly offered an annual salary of nearly 11 million, this
The amount is twice that of Nash's current contract. As for team options and annual salary reductions, Bill Duffy also expressed his understanding.
Bill Duffy knows his players very well. Nash, a white player who is about to turn 30, only averages 14 points and 8 assists per game. No matter how you look at the strength, it is probably just like this. It is difficult to make big progress.
, although there is no problem in getting an annual salary of tens of millions, but with such a long term and an offer of 65 million, Bill Duffy is very sure that this is pie in the sky. If he signs this contract now, all the media people will
He praised himself all the time and thought that he had done a good job in getting Nash's retirement contract. But Bill Duffy was a man who had been through big storms, a sincere man, and a man who really planned for the players. He did not get carried away by this.
He calmed down and replied.
"This contract is really good, I'm very satisfied. To be honest, I really want to sign the contract now. But Paul, you know, I can't make the decision on this kind of thing alone, I need Steve's consent. You know the Suns
You should know the attitude of the Suns. They are committed to making Nash the core of the team. This is what Steve has been craving for these years. And the strength of the Suns is also an important factor. You still need to convince Steve, of course.
At this time, we are partners on the same front." Bill Duffy explained the situation to Edison, and pointed out a fatal flaw of the Magic in a very subtle way, that the team was not competitive.
"Very good, Bill. In this case, you can make an appointment for me and I will have an interview with Steve."
"No problem. The Mavericks are still playing in the playoffs now. I don't want Steve to be distracted. Once the playoffs are over, I will arrange for you to meet as soon as possible. How about it?"
"Okay, that's it, goodbye." Edison hung up the phone and prepared to wait for the good news.
Bill Duffy also hung up the phone, then lit a cigar, calmed down again, patted his thigh to make sure it was not a dream, then looked at the perpetual calendar, it was not April Fools' Day either. Then he began to recall what he had just said with Edison.
During the conversation, I tried to find loopholes, and found that Edison must have sincerely planned to sign Nash. I couldn't figure out Edison's motives for a while, so I simply stopped thinking about it...
Soon, the playoffs between the Mavericks and Kings came to an end. The Kings defeated the Mavericks 4-1. So Bill Duffy quickly arranged for Edison and Nash to meet in New York.
Although Nash is Canadian, he lives in New York. Nash, his wife, and their two twin daughters live here every vacation. Unless they are traveling, they will not leave New York throughout the summer. Nash usually practices shooting for an hour in the early morning.
, or climb the stairs to exercise and maintain his physical condition. In the evening, he will go to Chelsea or Manhattan's Chinatown to play another sport he likes - football.
On May 5, Edison got off the plane from JFK International Airport and met Bill Duffy.
"I didn't expect you to pick me up in person, Bill."
"Not everyone has this kind of treatment. After all, you are a big customer."
The two hugged each other, then got into Bill Duffy's Lincoln and drove directly to Steve Nash's villa in New York.
When they arrived at the home, the wife and daughter had already been separated. The three of them met and complimented each other politely, and then sat down to get into the formal conversation.
"Steve, I think Bill has talked to you, what do you think, come to the Magic next season." Edison went straight to the point again.
"Yes, Paul, Bill has already told me that I am very satisfied with the salary and length of the contract. But you know, when you reach my grade, everyone wants to gain some honors, so I hope to know
, my position in your team and the Magic's future plans. Now that it is obvious that McGrady is leaving, the Magic has entered a rebuilding phase, and I want to know your plans."
"You can rest assured about the status of the team. As you said, we are going to rebuild, so in the future, we will focus on young players. I'm sorry I can't tell you the specific candidates for the team. But don't worry.
, if you come to the team, we will play a V-shaped tactic. You know this is a relatively simple tactic, but it has extremely high requirements for point guards, which is why we chose you. Your tactics
Their quality, game experience and passing ability are among the best in the league. Our players are young, but it doesn't matter. Everything will be in your hands. They will run around you and attack around you. Your ability will
It has been fully demonstrated. And I believe that with your personal ability, if you let everything go and let you be fully responsible for the offense, I believe this team's offense will be very strong, so our record will not be bad. After all, we are
The Eastern Conference, the Eastern Conference is not very strong. If you can lead the team to a record of about 55 wins, then you will be a candidate for the league’s mvp.” Edison deceived Nash and Bill Duffy with great talk, like
They described a wonderful prospect, but these two people did not fall for it.
"Paul, to tell you the truth, Phoenix also approached me before. Their head coach Anthony's rhetoric was almost exactly the same as yours. It was also a V-tactics and I was in charge of the team. But they have Stoudemire.
With Marion, I think this lineup is very good, and I am even confident that we can reach the Western Conference Finals. Although the contract you gave is much better than them, I think money is sometimes not the most important thing." Edison listened.
, glanced at Bill Duffy, who also looked puzzled.
"But Steve, if you come to the Magic, you have a better chance of entering the Finals. Don't forget that we still have Tracy McGrady. Although he is already planning to leave, but using him to trade players like Stoudemire and Marion,
I think it shouldn't be a problem. And there is only one Piston in the Eastern Conference. They are a 5-man team, like a machine with 5 people indispensable. But with Rasheed Wallace's training attitude, do you think he can still
How long it can maintain its status, and their contract renewal in two years is also a problem.”…
Edison talked again, but Nash obviously didn't listen completely, so an hour later, Edison and Bill Duffy got up and left.
"Bill, what's going on? Do you think the price of this contract is not satisfactory?" Edison immediately questioned Bill Duffy after leaving. He believed that this was deliberately arranged by Bill in order to obtain a more superior contract.
contract.
"Paul, you have misunderstood me. Although I hope to get more commissions, this is not what I meant. It seems that we have all underestimated Nash's desire for honor."
Edison thought for a moment and realized that this was indeed a possibility. Although Nash was frequently selected as an All-Star in the Mavericks, he was never the core of the team, and although the Mavericks had always been a strong team, they did not go far in the playoffs. The Spurs
The Kings and Lakers are like three mountains weighing on the Mavericks. The big reason why Cuban gave up on renewing Nash's contract this time is that the Suns were eliminated by the Kings again, which made Cuban question Nash's ability.
Nash is a very strong person, so he hopes to prove himself again, especially in front of Cuban.
"What now, Paul, you and I are in the same boat now." Bill Duffy asked Edison helplessly.
"I will add another million, 66 million in 6 years. You can also go back and persuade him. No matter what, Nash cannot be reunited with the Suns quickly. Everything will be postponed until after June, and when the draft lottery is over,
I also want to do better, and our strength will definitely gain Nash's trust by then. If it doesn't work, I can only cut the firepower." Edison said while biting his molar teeth.
"That's no problem. The Sun is not that fast. As long as the Sun's bid is not higher than yours, I will help you." Bill Duffy replied readily.
Edison looked at the street scene in New York, thinking that all the magic problems were now entangled with the results of the draft lottery, but Edison was unable to do anything about this, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of irritability and powerlessness in his heart.
