"Finally, I'm done with those meals. I feel nauseous whenever I think about them."

"I don't know how I got through this month. I got up earlier than chickens do, went to bed later than chickens do, and ate worse than chickens do..."

"Actually, the food was not bad. We had fish, meat, eggs, and vegetables. It was just that American cooks aren't good at cooking. They only boiled the food or baked it. If we had a Chinese cook, the food might've been decent."

In the front of the bus, the head coach of the team, Chenggong Sun, listened to the complaints of the players and sighed.

They complain after such little hards.h.i.+p. A lot of NBA stars eat such diets for more than ten years. Our players lack self-discipline, Sun thought, irritated.

Overall, Changgong Sun was satisfied with the effect of this training period. Although it was only a month, most of the players had gained weight. This increase in weight came from muscle, not fat.

Chinese basketball players were generally thin; many looked like thin bamboo poles. Because of this, muscle growth had always been very important for Chinese basketball players. However, the training that most players received in China was ineffective at increasing muscle. Of course, some players lacked self-discipline. They were not very concerned about their diets. They drank beer and ate BBQ or fried foods every day. There was no way they could gain muscles.

In the United States, the training environment was different. Dai Li's standard for physical training was a lot higher than most Chinese physical trainers. Moreover, the training center of the Clippers was flanked by the sea on one side and a village on the other. It was impossible to get anywhere without a car. If the players lacked self-disciplined, the environment forced them to behave.

"We will be going to Europe for a warm-up game soon. I hope to see the effect of this month's training very soon." Sun looked at his watch and thought of something else.

"Yesterday, Coach Li flew to New York to partic.i.p.ate in this year's NBA draft. The Clippers have the 20th pick in the first round. I wonder who they will pick," Sun said to himself.

...

The NBA draft was being held in New York. Almost all of the head coaches and team managers of the 30 teams in the NBA were present.

A Clippers' staff member hurriedly walked to Dai Li's side. He whispered, "Coach, the Kings want our second round pick. They are willing to pay cash, or trade their second-round draft pick next year."

"It seems that the Kings have someone in mind." Dai Li thought about it for a moment and said, "Then we should exchange draft picks with them. We will trade for their second-round draft pick next year."

The second-round draft picks, especially after the 40th pick, had always been seen as irrelevant. Teams in the NBA often used the second round to show goodwill towards other teams.

The Kings were cas.h.i.+ng in on this goodwill. They took a second-round draft pick from the Clippers. From the perspective of the Clippers, it was worthwhile to use a second-round draft pick to gain favor with the Kings.

The first, second, and all the other top draft picks were concluded. It was as the media had predicted. In fact, on the day of the draft, the top three picks had already been determined and the teams wouldn't risk choosing anyone else.

Starting with the sixth-round draft pick, teams started to deviate from what the media had predicted they would do. Gradually, players outside the green room were selected. This meant that there would be players in the green room who fell out of the lottery.

In the NBA drafts, there was a so-called "green room." It was not really a green room. It was a privilege given to certain rookies. Players who had been selected to be in the "green room" could be accompanied by relatives and friends to watch the draft. In general, the NBA invited at least 14 rookies into the green room. These rookies were basically in a lottery.

After the top 19 rookies were selected, it was finally the Clippers' turn to choose.

"I heard that the head coach of the Clippers is very interested in Kelz-k.u.mar from the University of Utah. I think the Clippers will definitely choose him!"

"That's not necessarily true. k.u.mar was predicted to be picked at either the end of the first round or the beginning of the second. It's a bit wasteful to choose him with the 20th pick."

"I think the Clippers spread the rumor that they were interested in k.u.mor to lower Ronny's contract renewal price. Both Ronny and k.u.mar are frontline players after all."

"I heard that Ronny asked the Clippers for $150 million for five years. He is really daring. He sees himself as an all-star."

"Yeah, if I were the Clippers, I would not agree to that price. That price will scare other teams away from offering him a contract. If he asked the Clippers for $150 million for five years, then other teams would have to offer him a four-year salary of 120 million to recruit him. In that case, it would be better to recruit an actual all-star player."

There were a lot of discussions. Kelz-k.u.mar was there. He had a nervous expression on his face. From time to time, he looked at the Clippers. He was worried that they might not choose him.

Finally, the President of the NBA, Adams, came to the stage and announced their pick.

"The 20th overall pick from the Los Angeles Clippers is Kelz-k.u.mar!"

When the applause rang out, k.u.mar stood up excitedly, took the Clippers' hat from the staff, and put it on his head. He jumped onto the stage and shook hands with Adams.

The general managers and coaches of every team started to talk again.

"The Clippers really chose k.u.mar. Is this a front?"

"It's really a waste to choose k.u.mar with the 20th pick. After all, there are still a lot of good forwards who are better than k.u.mar that have not yet been selected."

"The Clippers are bent on lowering Ronny's contract renewal price. I don't know if Ronny will insist on the $150 million for five years after hearing this news. This is going to be entertaining to watch."

...

Hawaii.

Ronny was on vacation in Hawaii. Due to the time difference, the NBA draft began in the afternoon in Hawaii. Ronny was enjoying the sun, the sea breeze, and the delicious fruit.

Bikini-clad girls walked around the beach and made Ronny happy and relaxed. He even started to think about whether to approach a hot girl to buy her a drink.

His mobile phone started to ring. It was a call from his agent.

"The results of the draft came out. The Clippers really chose Kelz-k.u.mar," the agent said straightaway.

"What? They chose a forward!" Ronny became uncomfortable. He felt betrayed.

The agent continued, "Obviously, the Clippers are not just trying to lower the price. They are really looking for someone to replace you."

"A rookie player would have trouble just lasting in the NBA. He won't be able to replace me!" Ronny said without hesitation.

"Ronny, I think we should lower our conditions accordingly. The Clippers are unlikely to give you $150 million for five years," the agent pleaded.

"You were the one who wanted me to insist on $150 million for five years. Now, you want me to lower it!" Ronny said resentfully.

"I was testing the bottom line of the Clippers. I didn't expect the management to be so determined to replace you." The agent paused before saying, "But you can rest a.s.sured, I will continue to fight for your best interests. What do you think about $125 million for five years?"

"$125 million for five years. Although it is less than before, it is still $25 million each year. If the Clippers are willing to accept this, I can renew the contract," Ronny replied.

...

"Ronny's agent has contacted us. They have asked for $125 million for five years," Xiao Yunan said.

Dai Li seethed. Now that the Clippers had Kelz-k.u.mar, a rookie with potential, Ronny had become less important. Dai Li thought that the $90 million off the Clippers gave him had been too much. There was no need to mention how he felt about $125 million for five years.

"Don't refuse, let's say that our management wants to have a discussion. Then we will take Ronny's requests to the press," Dai Li said.

"Why?" Xiao Yunan asked.

"$125 million for five years is an average of $25 million per year. I want other teams to know this. It will tell all those who are interested in Ronny that they need at least $100 million for four years to recruit Ronny. Do you think any of the 29 teams will offer such a figure?"

Dai Li smiled and continued. "I think other teams won't be able to offer such a high price. Ronny's request is too high. Other teams know that they can't meet Ronny's conditions, so they won't be able to offer him a contract. We can keep dragging Ronny's contract renewal for a while.

"As time goes on, each team will sign new players or renew the contracts of old players. The money they have to spend on salaries will lessen. Once other teams don't have enough money to sign Ronny, we will be Ronny's only choice. It will then be easier to drive down the price. The longer we drag this on, the better it will be for us."

After listening to Dai Li, Xiao Yunan stared at him with a strange look on her face.

"I think you have become a worse person. I can't believe you are able to think of something like this! You didn't have the guts to do something like this when we first met!" Xiao Yunan said with a smile.

"This is not me becoming worse, this is me becoming more mature!" Dai Li shrugged his shoulders to indicate a sense of helplessness. However, he smiled smugly. "If the husband of the lady boss of Dingtian Group was dumb and stupid, he might eventually get kicked out!"

...

In the conference room of the Detroit Pistons, several key personnel from the management and coaching staff were discussing the Piston's approach to the next season.

"This season, we have to strengthen the team's frontline. I want to sign someone who to help us in this regard," the head coach said.

"Do you have any suggestions for a suitable candidate?" The general manager of the Pistons asked.

"The Clippers' Ronny is a good candidate. He became a key player for the Clippers last season and his stats improved dramatically. He is currently a restricted free agent. I think we can give him an offer and see if the Clippers match it," the head coach replied.

"What do you think we should offer him?" The general manager asked.

"$80 million for four years. That should be enough. If that is not enough, we can offer $5 million as a performance bonus. His average annual salary will be more than $20 million. That should be enough to impress Ronny. The Clippers just selected a rookie from the draft. They may want to train this rookie. I think it is very likely that they will give up on Ronny and not match our offer," the head coach said.

"Hahaha! You think that $80 million for four years will impress Ronny?" The Piston general manager smiled slyly.

"$80 million for four years isn't enough? Does Ronny want a top salary?" The head coach asked.

"Of course he does! You probably didn't pay attention to yesterday's news. Ronny asked the Clippers for $125 million for five years," said the general manager.

"Oh my G.o.d. He is asking for such a high price. Is Ronny crazy? How did the Clippers reply? They certainly didn't agree," the Pistons' coach said.

"The Clippers said they would consider." The general manager of the Pistons spread his hands and said, "$125 million for five years. That is $25 million every year. If we want to recruit Ronnie, we need to offer him a minimum of $100 million for four years. He will definitely reject $80 million for four years. Even if Ronny accepted the offer of $80 million for four years, the Clippers will match it. After all, if they are considering giving him $125 million for five years, why would they hesitate to match $80 million for four years?"

Upon hearing this news, the Pistons' head coach frowned.

The general manager said, "I suggest the coaching staff give up on Ronny. Let's talk about another target that is more practical than Ronny!"

...

Ronny had a 19+5+3 season when he was with the Clippers. This was impressive for a small forward. He was a restricted free agent this year. There would naturally be teams that were interested in him.

However, teams were very cautious when giving offers to restricted free agents. When they learned that Ronny had requested $125 million for five years to the Clippers, many of them backed away.

This meant that other teams needed at least $100 million for four years to get Ronny to accept. At the same time, they could not rule out the possibility that the Clippers might match the offer. According to the NBA rules, once the Clippers chose to match the offer, the Clippers would have Ronny's signing rights. The team that gave the offer would be left with nothing.

Teams that were deliberately tanking had to make sure that their record was as bad as possible. They would then get a top rookie in the draft. It wasn't worthwhile for them to sign Ronny to improve their record. They definitely wouldn't offer Ronny a four-year contract.

Although teams that wanted to buff up their strength might want Ronny, they thought that Ronny was asking for too much. It was better to recruit a veteran star player.

A team that had a chance to the champions.h.i.+p wouldn't be interested in Ronny. They needed cost-effective players to play supporting roles to the team's superstars. Players like Ronny, who weren't all-stars but were stronger than average players, were not cost effective. He wasn't good enough to be a key player on those teams. Teams with a chance of winning would not consider someone like Ronny.

Now, Ronny had become a player on the free market that n.o.body cared about.