"The old man also wants to meet you this time, if you come by car, my shop will modify your car very cool, and will give you a discount."

"Oh, Tim, you're jumping into your new role so quickly, I thought you'd be free."

At the end of June, Zhang Xiaotian received an invitation from Duncan to attend a small gathering he organized.

Duncan has decided to retire, and he's been thinking about it this season, making up his mind after feeling like he can't help the team more in the playoffs.

It hasn't been officially announced at this time, but it's not going to change.

Duncan invited some old guys, the members of the team were not fully invited, Zhang Xiaotian only worked with the other party for a season, although the relationship is good, but there must be other reasons for being invited.

He still has a contract in hand, and the other party will not say anything clearly, but he may have heard some rumors.

His outstanding performances this season have already attracted the attention of many teams.

Eddie has been negotiating with Warriors management all this time, and the Warriors want him to renew his contract, but the contract has not yet been negotiated.

Zhang Xiaotian wants to get a maximum salary, and the Warriors want him to take a pay cut.

Next season, the league's new broadcast deal comes into effect, and there will be a big increase in player salaries.

If Zhang Xiaotian is given a maximum salary, the Warriors will have a big burden, the key is that the team also has to consider the next things and other people's contracts, and the strong Warriors are also looking forward to starting a dynasty.

There are a lot of free agents this summer, James, Durant, these two names alone are enough to arouse the interest of all teams in the league, as well as Wade, Howard, Whiteside, DeRozan, Conley, Drummond, Beal, Rondo, Horford, Noah, Big Gasol, Nowitzki, Ginobili and so on.

If the Warriors let Zhang Xiaotian enter the free market, there will be at least twenty teams interested in him.

If Zhang Xiaotian can't get along with the team, the Warriors are likely to find players to replace him.

In addition to those players who are interested in many teams, there are also some practical players at the No. 3 position, like Barnes of the Warriors, although his statistics have been affected after Zhang Xiaotian's arrival, but the strength is still there, and players such as Batum, Parsons, Lore Deng, and Turner are also very strong.

Zhang Xiaotian also wants to sign a long-term contract now, so he has not left the United States at the end of this season, at least until the Warriors decide whether to execute his contract for next season.

When I saw Popovich again, the league coach felt a lot older, maybe because of the departure of his beloved general, or maybe because he was really old.

Popovich shook the wine in his glass, "I used to say I would retire with Tim, and now it seems that I want to make a few more years of money, after all, it's easy to make money here." ”

"In addition to Thiem's departure, Manu is also old, and I used to be the only one in my team who could ignore tactics, and now I want to take back his privilege and wait until there is a more suitable player, but the team will still renew him with a good contract."

Popovich looked at Zhang Xiaotian with a smile, and the meaning of the old man's words was obvious, Zhang Xiaotian was the right player in the situation.

No matter what the other party thinks in his heart, Zhang Xiaotian can only provide ambiguous answers now.

However, he is willing to return to the Spurs if the right opportunity arises.

A few old teammates, there is also a meaning to recruit him in their words, this summer is destined to not be peaceful, Zhang Xiaotian does not know where he will go.

On the last day of June, there was another shocking news in the free market.

The Warriors announced that they were waiving the All-NBA Second Team, All-Defensive Team Second, and Finals MVP Zhang Xiaotian's next-year contract.

Is the Warrior crazy, Eddie's phone was blown up in an instant.

This time is different from the past, if Zhang Xiaotian wants to top the salary, many teams will not hesitate at all.

A few days later, Durant announced his move to the Warriors.

The Warriors gave up on Zhang Xiaotian and had no intention of continuing to cultivate Barnes.

Everyone suddenly realized that they also needed to spend so much money, so why not choose Durant.

When the Warriors played against the Thunder, some Thunder fans once ridiculed Zhang Xiaotian as a low-profile version of Durant, although the fan was slapped in the face, but from Zhang Xiaotian's success, Durant may really be very suitable for the Warriors.

Kerr said in an interview with reporters, "Zhang Xiaotian is a very good player, he has made a great contribution to the team, but this is the league, we will do some cruel things for the sake of victory, last season we brought him in under pressure for the team, and now we give up on him and choose Durant for the team." ”

"We're not going to settle for a championship, we're going to have to make trade-offs in order to build a dynasty team."

Kerr's subtext is clear: Durant is better, and he's the player who can help the Warriors build a dynasty.

Many people have also received gossip that Durant's decision is indeed related to Zhang Xiaotian.

He is hungry for a championship, his shooting is better than Zhang's, and the Warriors will become even stronger when he joins.

It didn't take much time for Zhang Xiaotian to choose his next home this time, and before Durant announced the results, Popovich found him again, and the two sides were still negotiating some small details.

Two days after Durant joined the Warriors, the Spurs officially announced that Zhang Xiaotian would return to the Spurs for 100 million in four years.

Zhang Xiaotian, the big fish, settled faster than expected, earlier than the Warriors officially announced Durant's joining.

The Spurs are willing to spend a lot of money, which is somewhat surprising, after all, the Spurs still have Leonard.

Of course, Zhang Xiaotian has the experience of working with James, and I believe that there will be no problems working with Leonard.

At the press conference, Zhang Xiaotian was in a good mood.

It's really upsetting that the Warriors think he's not as good as Durant, but it's nice to be able to come home.

"I didn't think much about it, and you should know that I didn't meet with other teams, so Spurs were the best option, no doubt."

"The old man said that if you want to give me the right to choose tactics freely, you have to testify to me."

The atmosphere of the press conference was very good, and Zhang Xiaotian had already left a lot of good impressions on Spurs fans.

However, if some reporters want to make the set point explode, Zhang Xiaotian has always been willing to satisfy others.

"Zhang, the Heat, Cavaliers, and Warriors you choose to join are all the most capable teams to win the championship, many people say that you are hugging your thighs, this time you choose the Spurs, do you have won enough championships, or do you think that the Spurs still have a great chance to win the championship after Duncan retires."

Zhang Xiaotian picked up the topic and opened his mouth to reveal a bright smile.

"Sir, I think you're mistaken, it's not that I like to form an alliance with a team that has the strength to win a championship, but which team I'm on and which player is the strongest contender for the championship."