Bishop of the Devil

"James, long time no see." Richard said with a smile after the call was connected.

"Lee? God, are you going to tell me that you are going to sell your equity in the Buccaneers and come to our Knicks to be the head coach!"

"I'm willing, I'm so willing. Come on, I'll fire our head coach in ten minutes to make room for you."

"You can set the price as you like, how about 100 million US dollars in 5 years?!"

James Dolan didn't know if he was joking, or if he really thought Richard really planned to join the Knicks.

Dolan's desire for Richard was not something that happened in a day or two. When Richard left the Trail Blazers, Dolan personally led the team to Portland to invite Richard, but in the end he failed to do so.

Richard smiled bitterly. He couldn't accept what Dolan said...

"Ahem, James, that's not what I want to say today."

Dolan also laughed. In fact, he didn't believe what he just said, but he still held out hope. If Richard really wanted to come to the Knicks, he would definitely welcome him unconditionally!

Dolan really dared to give him a salary of US$100 million in five years, because he knew very well that Richard's arrival would bring him several US$100 million in five years!

"Lee, are you talking about the transaction?" James Dolan asked with a smile.

"That's right, man, we are going to trade Rondo. I wonder if the Knicks have any plans to get Rondo?"

Richard didn't beat around the bush and told James Dolan his purpose straight to the point.

Upon hearing Richard's words, Dolan on the other end of the phone frowned.

"Rajon Rondo?"

"Man, you don't know what kind of team our Knicks are. You can't deny that he is indeed very strong. Although he is not as good as Chris Paul, he is definitely several levels better than Nate Robinson!"

"But his style doesn't suit us in New York..." James Dolan said with a smile.

Richard was startled, but he ignored this matter, that is the style of the New York Knicks.

Rondo's style of play has nothing to do with brilliance, and he doesn't have strong offensive firepower. In fact, such a player is not popular among the fan base.

The Knicks want glamor, popularity, and players that fans like.

The reason why Nate Robinson can get so many opportunities in the Knicks is because he is inspirational enough and eye-catching enough.

As for the question of whether Rondo is strong or not, to be honest, Dolan doesn't care at all. No matter how strong Rondo is, can he win the championship with a garbage lineup like the Knicks? Definitely not!

Not to mention winning the championship, it is very difficult to enter the playoffs.

So Dolan has no interest in Rondo at all...

"Li, actually I just wanted to call you. I need your help with something." James Dolan said with a smile.

"What's the matter, James?"

"It's like this. I heard that you don't plan to renew Danny Granger's contract. I wonder if you can help recommend our Knicks to Granger."

"Don't worry, we will definitely treat Granger well and we will never let him suffer any injustice."

Dolan doesn't like Rondo, but he likes Danny Granger...

Speaking of which, Granger's style really matches that of the Knicks. In today's league, the only player Dolan wants most and has a chance to get is Danny Granger.

Granger has a gorgeous style of play, and the most important thing is that he just won the FMVP. The Pirates have no plans to renew Granger, so no matter how you look at it, the Knicks should be thinking about Granger.

"We really have no plan to renew Granger's contract, but James, you should know that I once said that I will not influence the player's team selection. If you can persuade Granger to join you, I will definitely not Against that." Richard said with a smile.

Richard will not affect the transfer of West Lafayette players. This is not a secret, and James Dolan must also know it.

However, Richard may have made a slight exception in Granger's transfer this time. He recommended Granger to join the Trail Blazers...

"Okay, Lee, we will try our best to recruit Danny Granger. I think for young players like him, the Knicks are definitely very attractive."

…

After hanging up the phone on Dolan, Richard had no choice but to call Stevens again.

The Knicks were not prepared to ask for Rondo, so the Clippers were the only option left. Richard decided to take it one step at a time and satisfy Rondo's wish first.

As for whether Rondo will be sold twice by himself, that will be left to fate.

He has no relationship with Clippers owner Sterling, so Richard contacted Stevens directly at this moment.

Stevens was quite pleasantly surprised when he heard that Richard was going to sell Rondo to the Clippers.

Dolan doesn't know the goods, but Stevens still knows the goods. He knows that Rondo's strength will definitely take the Clippers to a higher level.

Of course, it can't be said that Dolan is ignorant. The main reason is that the Knicks' perspective of evaluating player value is different from other teams.

"Lee, if Rondo joins the Clippers, our strength will definitely improve a lot!"

"You should know the strength of Hart, the current team's main point guard, better than I do. No matter which point guard we play against in the Western Conference, we are always at a disadvantage."

Stevens sighed helplessly and said.

"Okay, do you need to discuss this with the team president?"

"Let's discuss it. You know I don't have the same status as you. I certainly can't make the decision as a head coach on this kind of thing." Stevens said with a wry smile.

…

About half an hour later, Stevens called Richard back.

Judging from Stevens' tone, it was obvious that the negotiation was not going well.

"Li, this deal may be ruined..." Stevens said helplessly.

"What's wrong? Your management doesn't want Rondo? It's impossible, right?" Richard asked with a frown.

In his opinion, with the Clippers' current lineup, it's too late for them to be happy if Rondo falls from the sky.

"no……"

"The price they were willing to offer was a little too low."

"What kind of quotation?" Richard asked with a frown.

Stevens sighed and began to tell Richard what happened in the past half hour.

After hanging up the phone with Richard, Stevens directly contacted the team president and told him that the Buccaneers wanted to trade Rondo.

The other party is naturally very happy. Rondo is dropped from the sky, which is a good thing, but he is only willing to give a 10-year first-round pick...

Stevens couldn't stand this offer and wanted to see if he could get an extra second-round pick.

Although even if a second-round pick is added, it is actually not enough value for Rondo.

But the result was naturally rejected...

"Only a 10-year first-round pick?" Richard frowned.

The Clippers' draft picks are in a relatively embarrassing position. Their record is either high or low. Their draft pick is generally around the 15th pick. The value is still there, but not that high.

With such a first-round pick, you want to be a dynasty controller? Stevens was too embarrassed to say it.

"Let's make the deal, Rondo belongs to you." Richard finally nodded and agreed.

If it had been when the Pirates first formed the team, he would never have agreed to this offer, which would have been a huge loss to his grandma's family.

However, Stevens is having a hard time now, and Rondo wants to come to a big city to play, so Richard simply acts as a good guy and makes things easier for both parties.

If we really want to talk about losses, what can Richard actually lose? Rondo himself was selected with this pick. He spent almost three years in vain and got a similar pick, so it is not a loss.

…

"Really?" Stevens' voice was trembling. He knew that if this deal was reached, Richard would probably be criticized by some fans again.

Because of this trade, the Buccaneers lost too much.

"Really, work hard, man, I hope you can perform well this new season." Richard encouraged Stevens.

Stevens' ability is obvious to all, but he is unlucky...

"Thank you, Lee!"

"Don't be so polite between us, we have been friends for more than ten years." Richard said with a smile.

…

After hanging up the phone with Stevens, Richard informed Rondo about the deal.

Rondo was quite dissatisfied, not because he was sold to the Clippers, but because he was dissatisfied with the offer made by the Clippers.

Only a mid-first-round pick? The Clippers look down on me so much? !

The key point was that Richard really agreed. Rondo felt that this might be a concession made by Richard in order to allow him to join the Clippers smoothly.

"Thank you, coach!" Rondo also thanked Richard.