"That damned hyena! How dare he poach my assistant!"
Another victim of Chen Yilun's temper appeared in the Pelicans' front office.
"Bastard!" Trajano's face twisted in fury.
Alvin Gentry, seated beside him, wore a grave expression but secretly felt relieved. Thank goodness his young junior had only poached someone from Trajano's staff—it didn't affect his own job.
Truth be told, Chen Yilun had once considered targeting Gentry's coaching staff too.
The Pelicans' shooting coach, Fred Vinson, was one of the league's top specialists, having helped numerous players develop their shooting ability. But with Uncle Chip already serving as the team's shooting guru, bringing in another top coach might cause unnecessary friction.
So Chen Yilun dismissed the thought.
After several days of waiting in Sacramento, Chen Yilun finally welcomed the assistant he'd been hoping for. As time went on, he realized he no longer had the energy to manage everything himself.
In the past, he could handle all team operations on his own, but with his responsibilities piling up, he could no longer maintain his one-man rule.
And frankly, he didn't dare delegate much authority to his current staff.
Peja was steady but lacked ambition. His original assistant, Divac, was notorious for his poor eye for talent. In the original timeline, players like Fredette, Ben, and Bagley had all been drafted under him—each one turning into a disappointment. Chen Yilun truly feared that giving Divac more power would end in disaster.
His new hire, Michael Blackstone, however, was one of the league's best when it came to handling player contracts.
In the original timeline, the additional attendance clause in Zion's contract with the Pelicans had been Blackstone's work.
Player contracts aren't just about salary and years. They include clauses on attendance, performance, even the number of three-pointers made per season. If not drafted carefully, a solid contract could easily turn toxic. You couldn't be too careful with these things.
"Mike, it's been a long trip. But we've got plenty to do. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to put in some overtime," said Chen Yilun as he opened a file.
"This offseason, we have three major contracts expiring—CJ, Jokić, and Ben."
"I already looked into that on my way here," Blackstone replied with a nod.
"All three are finishing their rookie deals. The tricky ones are Jokić and CJ. As for Ben—it depends if you still want him. Personally, I don't think it makes much difference either way."
"Keep him. He's the team's mood-maker. Having him around keeps the atmosphere light. Give him a mini mid-level deal."
Blackstone nodded. "Then we can focus on Jokić and CJ."
"They've both been with the team for three full seasons. After this one, they'll have full Bird rights. If I recall, CJ made the All-Star team in his second year—they'll definitely use that as leverage."
Everyone knew that CJ's All-Star selection had been largely orchestrated by Chen Yilun, who even pulled some strings through his contacts back in China. Westbrook, who got snubbed that year, still held a grudge over it.
Still, a record is a record—and it would factor into negotiations.
"If we go the Bird rights route, we could technically match offers using cap space," Blackstone mused.
"The only big contract we have right now is Durant's 1+1 deal, which eats up nearly $26 million in space. Compared to that, Butler's salary—less than $20 million a year—looks like a child labor contract."
The Kings' biggest advantage was Butler's 5-year, $95 million deal signed back in 2015. That bargain contract formed the foundation of the Kings' current roster and gave Chen Yilun the flexibility to sign Durant outright.
"But if we match both CJ and Jokić's max offers, we'll blow past the luxury tax threshold. The tax bill would be insane—the owner won't go for it."
Ranadivé might grit his teeth and pay the luxury tax, but crossing the repeater threshold was another story entirely.
"That's why I need you, Mike," said Chen Yilun, offering him a cigarette.
"My specialty is adding clauses to contracts—but the base salary still counts toward the cap," Blackstone said with a wry smile as he accepted it.
"There's only one way to keep the cap under control."
"That means everyone will have to give something up."
"If CJ and Jokić both wait until summer to become restricted free agents, we'll have the right to match. But without question, other teams will throw max offers at them. If someone offers the max and we can't match, we'll be letting them walk for nothing."
"So, either Durant opts out after this season and takes a pay cut to re-sign, freeing up space for the two of them… or we lock Jokić and CJ into extensions now, before the season ends. We might not have full Bird rights yet, but with Early Bird rights, we can still secure them with long-term deals below the max."
"Those are our only two options."
After saying that, Blackstone pulled out a lighter, lit his cigarette, and took a long drag.
"This is going to be tough."
After their discussion, Chen Yilun felt the same headache settling in.
If they handled things poorly, this star-studded team might see its run end with the 2016–17 season. Many great teams had fallen apart because of salary cap pressure.
"Honestly, I don't think keeping CJ matters that much," Blackstone finally said after a brief silence.
"His offense outweighs his defense, and our scoring is already more than enough. Spending big to re-sign him might do more harm than good."
"You're right," Chen Yilun admitted. "But he's been with the team since the start. Cutting him abruptly could hurt the locker room dynamic."
As Chen Yilun's first disciple, CJ had worked tirelessly these past two years. Even when he was benched for stretches, he never complained.
But with how fast the team was evolving, CJ was starting to lag behind. Maybe bringing in a defensive specialist would make more sense.
"Let me think it over," said Chen Yilun. "I'll talk to the guys in the next couple of days and figure out a plan."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser
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(Author's Note
As many of you may have noticed, the System has not appeared in the recent chapters. It has been removed to better align with the story's direction and overall development. This change was made to improve the pacing and depth of the plot. Thank you for your understanding and continued support!)