The Godfather of Basketball

Seeing that Billups was shaken, Tang Tian struck while the iron was hot.

"The salary space of the Rockets is much more reasonable. The core is unshakable. Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, once you go, you will be the third giant. The rest will only be some role players and functional players."

"And the team was the champion last year, and this season the team has added good newcomers. If you join, by this time next year, you will have another championship ring."

A series of words, said Billups finally laughed.

Tang Tian looked at him suspiciously.

"I know why the Rockets were able to win the championship unexpectedly last year."

"Why?"

"Not only is your coaching ability excellent, but your eloquence is also outstanding."

Tang Tian was stunned for a moment, and then laughed. Billups said this because he admitted that he was moved.

"Then are you interested in playing for the Rockets?" Tang Tian asked again what he asked at the beginning.

"Yes." Billups nodded, "I will consider the Rockets second only to the Pistons. If the team is really unwilling to give me the proposed contract, I will find you as soon as possible."

This is basically agreed, but as Billups said at the beginning, he still hopes to stay with the Pistons in his heart.

However, Tang Tian already knew that he was successful nine out of ten.

In the previous life, the Pistons did not pay the luxury tax for Billups, and the possibility of paying it now is very low.

If he really paid, then he has nothing to do, he has already done the best he can.

After bidding farewell to Billups, Tang Tian did not return to Houston immediately, but stayed in a nearby hotel.

Unlike leading the team to the game last season, because it is the offseason, he is basically fine as the head coach, and he can just stay in Detroit and visit this "Motor City".

Relying on the automobile industry, Detroit once became the fourth largest city in the United States, but with the impact of Japanese and Korean automobiles, it has long since lost its scenery. Walking on the street, the busy figure of the shuttle shows that people living in this city People are under a lot of pressure.

This is probably one of the reasons why Pistons owner Bill Davidson is unwilling to pay extravagant sharps.

While Tang Tian was wandering around Detroit, all the teams were busy preparing for the new season.

The Nets re-signed Carter, the Magic re-signed Howard and traded the Sonics' "Mr. Billion" Lewis, Mo Williams and the Bucks reached a 6-year 53 million contract... such big deals and news It is endless.

The Rockets also started to sign contracts, the most important of which was with Pietrus, who had previously reached a verbal agreement. The two parties signed a 2-year, 9 million fully guaranteed contract.

Pietrus played the best performance in the Warriors last season. He averaged 11 points and 4.5 rebounds in 27 minutes per game, and his three-point shooting percentage reached 39%. The market price is far more than 4.5 million. It's Tang Tian's face.

Simultaneously with the free market is the summer league.

The Rockets are surprisingly strong.

After the baptism of the playoffs, Barea's overall strength has become much stronger, with an average of 30+ per game. That feeling is not at the same level as other players.

The other one is Sessions. He showed his own characteristics undoubtedly. After a few games, he averaged 15 points and 12 assists per game.

Relying on the outstanding performance of the two, the Rockets made it all the way to the finals and successfully defended the championship.

The final award was also won by the Rockets. Barea won the summer league regular season MVP, and Sessions won the finals MVP with his outstanding performance of 20 points and 20 assists in the finals.

By this time, Morey couldn't help calling Tang Tian, ​​praising him for his vicious vision in the draft.

For two consecutive years, he has found treasures at low positions. Even if Tang Tian is just a scout, he is still the most sought-after player in the league.

The negotiations between Billups and the Pistons are still at a stalemate. In the process, other teams chasing Billups have withdrawn one after another due to their own reasons, so the Pistons are even more reluctant to increase the total contract amount.

"Don, we can talk."

After waiting for more than a week, Tang Tian finally received a call from Billups.

His waiting finally paid off.

This time, it was Billups who found Tang Tian, ​​and his mental state seemed a bit poor.

"Are you okay?" Tang Tian poured a cup of coffee.

"No, it's just that I haven't slept well in the past two days." Billups took the coffee and sat down.

Tang Tian nodded, and he could tell that it was not just a lack of sleep, but more psychological pressure.

"How about it, have you decided to join the Rockets?" Tang Tian was still very straightforward.

Billups nodded: "But I have one request."

"Request?" Tang Tian looked at Billups suspiciously, not knowing what he was referring to.

"You know I've been with the Pistons for so long, and I have feelings for this team and those teammates. If I just leave, it's very unreasonable, so I hope I can bring back some useful assets for the team. .”

"You mean sign first and then trade?" Tang Tian understood what Billups said.

Billups nodded.

Tang Tian frowned at this time. He was very familiar with signing first and then changing. In his previous life, Chris Paul was from the Clippers to the Rockets. Team Rocket.

"Who to change? Chauncey, you should know that I am not the one who makes the decision on the transaction." Tang Tian said after thinking for a while.

"I know, I have already discussed this matter with Joe. It is inevitable for me to go to the Rockets. Let the general managers of the two teams resolve the negotiation." Billups also knew that this request was a bit vague. Reluctantly, he spoke apologetically.

"All right, I'll contact Darrell now and ask him to get it done sooner, so you can have more time to move."

Billups was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes were moved. Tang Tian, ​​the head coach, thought so carefully.

"Thank you, coach." This veteran who has played in the league for more than ten years already feels that he will open up a new world in the Rockets.

Tang Tian patted Billups on the shoulder: "Since the final decision has been made, you can go back and have a good sleep."

Billups nodded, then turned and left the hotel.

Morey moved quickly, and after two days of talks with the Pistons, an agreement was quickly reached.

The transaction plan was also announced on the third day. After the announcement, the entire alliance was shaken.

After the Pistons and Billups reached a five-year 60 million contract (the last year is a team option), they followed up with a deal with the Rockets, getting Juwan Howard, Ralph Alston, Mon Sessions and a future second-round pick.

Immediately after the Pistons made a deal with the Timberwolves, trading Juwan Howard and the future second-round pick in the past, because the Timberwolves salary space is below the salary cap, the latter also received a deal close to 7 million special case.