Jordan Jr. was traded by the Wizards from the Clippers and only played for two years with the Wizards, and because of this, the two years did not trigger the conditions of the Bird clause, and the Wizards can give Jordan Jr. the same salary as other teams.

The Wizards' salary space is currently healthy, and there is nothing wrong with re-signing Jordan Jr. with a maximum salary, but the team must also consider the contract extensions of Curry Harden and others.

With the strength of these two players, the future is also a contract renewal with a maximum salary, and in this case, if Jordan Jr. is renewed with the maximum salary in advance, the salary space of the Wizards will inevitably explode directly.

So this summer, in the eyes of most people, there is a high probability that Jordan Jr. will be let go by the Wizards.

Without Jordan Jr., McGee and Whiteside alone are not enough to support the Wizards' interior line, and selecting a capable interior player is an important task for the Wizards this summer in the eyes of others.

I'm afraid no one would have imagined that Wang Xiao didn't even consider an inside player.

The Wizards' center's main job is to grab rebounds and defend in a position.

So in Wang Xiao's place, even if Jordan Jr. leaves, relying on McGee and Whiteside will be more than enough for the Wizards.

……

Wang Xiao originally thought that Jordan Jr. might talk to him in advance, or his agent would take the initiative to find him to communicate about whether he would renew his contract.

But what he didn't expect was that the first person to contact him was Harden's agent.

Harden's agent is named Rob. Pelinka is one of the famous agents in the NBA, and his biggest star is Kobe Bryant. Bryant.

In addition to Kobe and Harden, Pelinka also has the likes of Carris. Karman, Andrey. Iguodala and Eric. Gordon and other clients are extremely proficient in this area.

When he received Pelinka's call, Wang Xiao realized something.

Sure enough.

"Coach Wang Xiao, I am here this time for my client, that is, the player in your team, James. Harden came. ”

On the phone, Pelinka's words were very flat, as if he were talking about a business, and in fact it was.

"I just had an in-depth conversation with my client not long ago and he expressed that he was a little dissatisfied with his current role and position in the team and wanted to get more opportunities.

Finally, it's time to come.

Wang Xiao actually knew that something like this would happen sooner or later, it just took a long time.

In another time and space, after three years off the bench with the Thunder, Harden still wants to stay with the Thunder, even if he continues to be the sixth man on the team.

But the Thunder's management team didn't give him a chance to stay, and forced Harden away with a very arrogant attitude.

And this also made Harden, after going to the Rockets and becoming the core of the team, Harden quickly showed that he was not inferior to Durant and Westbrook, and became one of the top superstars in the league.

On the Wizards, Wang Xiao gave Harden a lot of privileges, such as playing more minutes than most starters.

For example, when he is on the court, the ball is in his hands most of the time, and even if Curry is on the court, he will take a slight back seat to play off-ball offense.

Another example is to enjoy the same level of training bonuses as Curry in the training module......

This also made Harden's strength skyrocket, winning the Best Sixth Man award for the second year in a row.

But as the saying goes, as much ability there is, so great ambition is.

The Thunder's version of Harden, who just won the Sixth Man of the Year award in his contract year, is still on the rise, which makes him happy to stay in the Thunder's environment and continue to train himself.

But the Wizards' version of Harden has won the Sixth Man of the Year award for the second year in a row, and now he has more on his radar.

He is no longer satisfied with being a substitute, he also wants to be the team's starter, to be the heart of the team that really dominates the team's game......

Wang Xiao understands such an idea very well, very understanding.

In his opinion, a person's ambition also determines his future achievements, and no soldier who is willing to be a soldier can become a general.

Players like Kobe Bryant and James, when they joined the NBA, also wanted to be the first in the league and become the strongest.

What Wang Xiao didn't know was that there were two important reasons why Harden would have the courage to arrange for an agent to communicate with him.

The first is Curry.

At the age of 22, Curry has become the youngest regular season MVP in league history, which is an honor that Curry can boast about for a lifetime, but for Harden, it is like a fishbone stuck in his throat.

Also a rookie in '09, Harden was the eye, and Curry was only the sixth pick (he was drafted by the Timberwolves and traded to the Wizards at the time)

But now, the list has won the best sixth man in two times, and the sixth pick has won the MVP of the regular season, the highest honor for a player.

After all, with Harden's current level of play, if the main core of the Wizards team is him, then he also has a high probability of winning the regular season MVP.

……

Second, at the critical moment of the Eastern Finals, Wang Xiao decisively chose to abandon his affairs.

Although it was nothing at the time, but in hindsight, Harden always felt that the head coach didn't seem to trust him.

Because when Curry and George are targeted or have a bad hand, Wang Xiao will not replace them immediately, but will patiently adjust the lineup to try to get them back to form.

These two things combined, plus playing as a substitute for two seasons, wanted to try the feeling of starting, so Harden contacted the agent and wanted the agent to communicate with the coach.

It is not uncommon for agents to communicate with the team on behalf of the player, discussing the player's playing time and positioning on the pitch, after all, not every player can speak well and express his thoughts completely.

Harden's agent said a lot, and the final meaning was that Harden wanted to start next season and get more tactical support.

This is a reasonable requirement, and it is also a normal thing for a player who can contribute 20+8 per game in the regular season.

But......

"It's a pity."

Wang Xiao sighed and said to Pelinka on the phone: "In my plan for next season, Harden still has to play as a substitute, which is very important for the team's system, and I will not change." ”

"Coach Wang Xiao ......"

Pelinka was stunned, obviously he didn't expect Wang Xiao to refuse so decisively, he thought about it and said: "You know, my client has been able to average 20+8 All-Star level data per game this season, and he is only 21 years old!" You can't keep a player so young and promising on the bench, it's a blasphemy against his talent. If you insist on that, I would like to request a trade from the team on behalf of my client. ”