So far, among the rookies in the class of '07, only Durant and Joakin. Noah signed a contract with his parent team ahead of schedule, and it was a five-year contract.

Signing a five-year contract with a player who has just come out of his rookie years is actually very risky for the team. There are countless players in NBA history who have gone out on a big contract, so signing a high-value long-term contract with a young player early is a gamble for the team, a gamble on the player's future.

However, as a prospect for the '07 draft, Horford has not received an offer from the Hawks until now. To be exact, no official offer has been received. In the first two offers, the Hawks offered Horford a price of 55 million for 5 years and 58 million for 5 years respectively. However, in this summer when Noah took 60 million, the Hawks did not hesitate to throw 120 million to Joe. After Johnson, Horford clearly felt that the price was not respectful enough for him.

The 23-year-old All-Star, one of the standout rookies in '07, doesn't think he can get the same price tag as Durant, but he can't accept that he's cheaper than Noah is to the Bulls in the eyes of the Hawks.

Horford's negotiations with the team are basically deadlocked, and for this reason, Horford has changed his manager a few days ago. A manager who can't get a big contract for an All-Star player naturally doesn't need to stay.

Horford actually likes Atalanta a lot, and he wants to stay with the Hawks. But Horford's father, a former NBA player, was also the first Dominican player to play in the NBA, Totti. Horford told his son.

If a team doesn't respect you, then you need to think carefully about whether or not you want to continue working with them.

These days, after smashing Joe Johnson with $120 million. Hawks General Manager Rick. Sander has been harassed by reporters, and most of the reporters' problems are related to Horford. If he doesn't renew his contract and wait for Horford to become a restricted free agent next season, will the Hawks match any offers?

Faced with this question, confronted by Kevin since 1992. After Willis, the first player to be selected as an All-Star in the Hawks' own draft, Rick Brown. Sander didn't pat his chest and say, "We'll keep him," but chose to be silent.

"Actually, it's not Rick's fault. Sander, if you want to blame it, the owner of the Eagles doesn't want to pay any more. Looking at the newspaper report, Henson couldn't help but smile. Negotiations between the Hawks and Horford are still deadlocked, and this is their chance!

$120 million when the Hawks big boss Michael. After Giron had given so much, he didn't want to invest so much anymore. And next summer, a new round of NBA labor negotiations is about to begin, which is one of the reasons why he has been reluctant to renew Horford's contract.

If player salaries drop next year, Horford's salary must also fall, and the Hawks will have more initiative at that time. As the owner of the team, Giron certainly cares more about his own interests. Horford is a low-key player and doesn't have as much box office appeal as Joe. Johnson was so explosive. So Giron's attitude is very clear, that is, to compress Horford's contract amount as much as possible!

"The reason why Giron didn't renew Horford's contract early, the problem is the money. So in this negotiation, we will take out the factor of money and make a big fuss. Silas told me the other day that Horford had changed managers for this negotiation. So I think the negotiations between the two sides are not pleasant. If we can help the Eagles take some of the financial pressure off and then give them some benefits, I don't think there's a reason for Geelong to refuse. On the plane, Henson and Bird discussed their own plans for negotiation.

Bird stared at Henson for a long time, but didn't say a word.

"Bird?" Seeing Bird staring at him in a daze, Henson couldn't help but reach out and shake it in front of Bird's eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I got distracted." Bird said, rubbing his temples, "Your plan is good, we'll talk to them later." ”

Henson shrugged, Bird is rarely distracted at work. Maybe it's the recent sale of some of the Pacers' shares that has made this guy scratch his head. In fact, Bird was not distracted, but surprised, surprised that Henson, a head coach who had only been in office for less than two months, could come up with such a perfect trade plan on his own.

Bird is well aware that the focus of his work in the recent period has not been on reinforcement at all, and the reinforcement plan is almost always formulated by Henson himself. How many surprises can this guy bring to himself?

"Bird, our funds are running safely." Henson couldn't help but be a little worried, not so much worried about his own job, but worried that if the Pacers couldn't renew Horford's contract because of money, then the deal wouldn't make any sense.

"Of course it's safe, rest assured. The Pacers aren't trying to peddle, but there is a big consortium that wants to invest and get a piece of the pie. The other side made a lot of money and the negotiations went very well, so I think we should be able to squander the cheques in the free agent market in the future. Bird winked at Henson, the guy was already wrinkled and playing this little naughty.

"What consortium? Why do you want us to be in the playoffs in four years? ”

"Who knows what these big bosses think, but the other party may not care about the money at all, they just like basketball."

"That boss, what's his name?"

"Vivek. Lanadivi. ”

"Lanadivie?" Henson's eyes widened suddenly.

"What, you know?"

"No, just think the name...... Something special. Henson immediately regained his composure, a coincidence, it must have been just a coincidence......

※※※

Henson and Bird arrive in Hartsfield, Atlanta. After Jackson International Airport, he didn't stop long, but made a beeline for a piece of golf in the affluent area north of Atlanta. Eagles big boss Michael. Geelong and General Manager Rick. Sander, who is waiting there for Henson and Larry. Bird's visit.

As Henson points out, as Henson puts it, the party who initiates a deal is passive from the very beginning of the negotiation. Because of your proposal, others have plans to negotiate with you. If the business can't be done, it may not be a loss for others.

Rick. Sander and Michael. Giron was very smart, and they deliberately waited for Bird and Henson to come from a long distance to come and visit, in fact, in order to put pressure on the Pacers.

"You see, we're not really interested in this deal, we just want to hear what you guys have to say."

However, Henson is extremely confident, the Hawks don't know why the Pacers are seeking Horford, but the Pacers know very well why the Hawks don't renew Horford's contract. Don't let others know your purpose, and then find a way to figure out what others are trying to do, and things will be simple. That's how Henson pits the Timberwolves in the past.

Due to the lack of charismatic stars and a stellar record, the Eagles' home attendance has been worrying for years. In some games, the stadium attendance was less than 50 percent, and even the away players who played at Philips sometimes complained that there were too few fans to play and that they couldn't play the ball. The Hawks have been losing money for almost a year, and their current market value barely exceeds $300 million, which is one of the lowest among the league's 30 teams. These things have made Giron cautious after squandering $120 million.

Knowing what others are thinking, trading is handy.

After getting off the plane and taking a taxi for an hour, Henson and Bird finally arrived at their destination. After the two got out of the car, they found that there were already people waiting at the entrance of the golf course. It seems, Michael. Geelong has covered it all in a few days.

Henson and Bird walked confidently onto the pitch. Sander, a kind-looking white old man with a big belly and Mediterranean hair, greeted him and shook hands with Bird and Henson.

"Welcome to Atlanta, Mr. Bird! This is ......" Rick looked at Henson, he obviously didn't expect Bird to come to negotiate and actually bring this little-known Chinese coach. What Sander didn't know was that in fact, the entire negotiation plan was drawn up by Henson.

"This is our new manager, Henson. Joe. ”

"Mr. Sander, I have admired the name for a long time." Henson politely shook Sander's hand, and Sand deliberately increased the force on his hand as he shook it. This is a psychological hint of his authority, and of course, these carving tricks do not intimidate Henson.

Behind Sander, a middle-aged man in a plain sports T-shirt and jeans also came over with a glass of wine. The man's dress was very ordinary, and if he hadn't known it in advance, Henson would never believe that this ordinary-looking guy was actually the big boss of the Eagles.

"Bird, welcome! It's a nice day, so let's shoot two shots first! After Giron finished speaking, he handed Bird a club, "Let's talk while we play." ”