Al. Al Horford, the '86-year-old Dominican center, was traded to Indianapolis a year before his rookie contract ended. Little did he know it at the time, and this was the beginning of the most glorious page of his career.

At that time, Al. Horford was still a young man who had just proven his talent, and he had no idea that he would be the starting center for a dynasty team.

In the blink of an eye, the five-year contract of more than 60 million yuan was almost completed. And he once again stood at the crossroads of his career.

Time flies, and next year, that is, in 2016, the once extremely young Dominican center forward will be about to turn 30.

At the age of 30, it is undoubtedly a turning point for professional footballers. A professional player's competitive condition will inevitably begin to decline after the age of 30. Even a great center like O'Neal can't escape this law.

In other words, Al. If Horford wants to sign a big contract after the age of 30, it will be almost impossible. In this era of hundreds of millions of dollars in big contracts, Horford is bound to lose a lot if he doesn't seize the opportunity.

So at this time, Horford is also thinking about his next destination. If the Pacers can't meet Horford's request for a contract extension next year, then he will have to choose to leave.

Championship and various accolades, Al. Horford has taken enough. All he wants now is to get the last big contract of his career. A contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars, preferably longer.

It's not Al. Horford wasn't faithful, but it would certainly be unrealistic to give up tens of millions of dollars just because of his loyalty. Moreover, in the past few years with the Pacers, Horford has also done his best. Even if he leaves, he has a clear conscience.

There is no doubt that in Leonard and Jimmy. After Butler's successive departures, Bird is now very concerned about renewing his contract. He feared that the same tragedy would happen again. If Al. Horford also left for nothing, so the Pacers really collapsed across the board.

But luckily, this time, Bird has Henson. Joe was willing to help.

"What do you say? You're going to be a dad!? ”

In the office of the chairman of basketball operations in the Bankers' Living Arena, Bird's eyes widened. And across his desk is the man who brought glory to the Pacers - Henson. Joe.

"A few days ago, I accompanied Anjiali to the hospital for a check-up, and he successfully became pregnant. You're right, Bird, this time next year, I'll already be a cute little daddy! Henson was also so happy that he shared the news with his old friend on the first day he met Bird.

"I didn't expect it...... The bastard who was in the alliance at the beginning is actually going to be a father. When the child is born, I will be his godfather. Bird was overwhelmed with emotion, and he suddenly remembered the night he had first met Henson.

In front of him, there stood a little-known scout, but who looked confident. Bird was glad that that night, he chose to let Henson personally report on his rookie scouting. Otherwise, the Pacers' history might not be so bright.

"To be the godfather of a bastard son? Doesn't that mean you're a jerk too? Forget it, don't talk nonsense with you," Henson smiled and waved his hand, ready to cut to the chase, "Let's talk about Al. Horford's thing. What are you going to do with him? ”

"Before we start talking, I'll ask you again. You're really not planning to come back? Even if it's a general manager. Otherwise, why would you help me? ”

"Because I love this city and this team, because I'm your old friend, because I'm idle and in a good mood right now. I'm one of the Pacers' biggest names anyway, so I have to contribute something to my team. As for your question, I'm still the same sentence. I just want to help, but I don't want to wade through the waters. ”

Once again, Henson turned down a request to be on Pacers management because he didn't know if he wanted to get back into the basketball world. After all, after Angeli is pregnant and the baby is born, Henson will definitely not be able to devote all his time to basketball as before.

"Well, as a Pacers legend, you do have a say. For Al. Horford, I plan to renew his contract next summer for 4 years and 90 million. You know, this league has gone crazy since the salary cap was raised. This summer, even a player like Mozgov was able to get a $64 million contract. So for a star player, 90 million in 4 years is not much at all. I've consulted with Vivek and Stephen and they've said it's okay. ”

"yes, the world has gone mad. How much did we pay to renew Paul's contract back then? 105 million in 5 years? Henson shook his head, he never thought that this alliance would be full of 100 million contracts.

"It's 107 million in 5 years, Henson. And now a star player's four-year contract is higher than that number. Bird spread his hands helplessly.

"It doesn't matter, anyway, the wages of the players are frighteningly high right now. So I think you don't have to rush to renew Horford's contract. We should leave that $100 million to Antetokounmpo. ”

"Antetokounmpo?"

"That's right, if we re-sign Horford next summer, then we won't be able to re-sign Antetokounmpo early. In this way, in the year after that, Jimmy. The tragedy of Butler and Leonard could be repeated in Antetokounmpo. So my view is that Antetokounmpo will be re-signed with an early salary cap next summer. Henson's expression became serious, he felt really enjoyed, he enjoyed discussing basketball with Bird.

Although right now, Antetokounmpo's stats are not as dazzling as Horford's. But Henson must admit that Antetokounmpo has a higher ceiling than Horford. Horford is almost 30 years old and he's about to start his slide. And Antetokounmpo, his growth has only just begun.

So if he had to make a trade-off, he would choose Antetokounmpo to stay.

"And what about Al? Just watch him leave for nothing? We've lost enough this summer, Leonard, Jimmy. Butler, David. West, Livingston, ...... I don't want to lose talent in vain. ”

"The reason why they're losing is because you and Vogel have been hesitant to make a trade-off. If we can decisively trade players whose contracts are expiring and who don't necessarily renew their contracts with the team in a contract year, then our losses will be minimized. ”

"You mean, trade Al this summer. Horford!? After hearing that Henson was going to be a father, Bird's eyes widened for the second time today.

"That's right, this summer, we're going to have to trade Al. Horford. In this way, our losses will be minimized. Of course, all this depends on Horford's wishes. You know, he's done his best for the Pacers, and we can't trade him out of the box without warning. He honors us, and we ought to honor him. So, I'll talk to him and get to know what he thinks. ”

"I said, you better come back. But there is no team legend who helps like you. Bird smiled slightly, and as soon as Henson appeared, he instantly felt that the burden on his shoulders was much lighter.

"No, I just wanted to give some personal advice, it's as simple as that."

※※※

"Congratulations, Chief. I'm happy for you, sincerely. ”

Sitting in the courtyard of the Henson family, Al. Horford smiled genuinely. This is the second player in a week to congratulate Henson on his upcoming fatherhood.

"At the beginning, your girlfriend was introduced by An Jiali, but I didn't expect that in the end, I got married so many years later than you. It seems that there are some things that I really need to speed up. Henson smiled and took a sip of his coffee.

Today, Henson called Horford to come to his home for a chat. The reason is that after Anjiali went to Paris to attend a fashion show, he was bored at home alone.

But Horford wasn't stupid, he knew exactly what Henson was calling himself for. In fact, even if Henson doesn't look for him, he will take the initiative to find him. Because this man who is about to turn 30 finds that he still can't get an idea sometimes.

For example, this time, the question of going and staying.

And in this world, apart from his father, Henson is the only person that Horford absolutely trusts and is willing to listen.

"Boss, have you spoken to Bird lately?" After an afternoon of small talk, it was Horford who cut to the chase first.

"That's right, I spoke to him the day before yesterday, right in his office." Henson does not deny this.

"What are your conclusions?"

"No conclusion, Bird wants to renew your contract for 4 years and 90 million next summer. What do you think? Do you think this price is appropriate? ”

"I'm not a money-conscious person, sir. If it's just a few million dollars in salary cuts, I think I'm okay with that. But my manager told me that next summer, a lot of teams would come to me with a $100 million contract. You know, I'm also 30 years old and this is my last chance to get a big contract. I don't want to miss it, sir. Here, there is a gap of tens of millions of dollars! ”

Horford was honest, and Henson liked his candle.

"I can understand that even I am not willing to give up the extra tens of millions of dollars. So now, I want to discuss one thing with you. If you're leaving next summer, can we make a deal? Trade you out early, so that the Pacers won't suffer too much, and it won't delay you from renewing your contract, don't you think? ”

Management wants to trade players, and it stands to reason that the players' consent is not required. But Henson sought his advice on behalf of Bird, much to the flattery of the Dominican centre-forward. What's more, it's a win-win situation.

He felt respected, and there was no reason to refuse.

"If you want to trade? Where will I go? ”

Hearing Horford's question, Henson smiled happily. It's good to get together and disperse, this is the result he wants to see the most......

Bird was right, Leonard and Jimmy. Butler's tragedy cannot be repeated.