in2ebook Chapter 42 Stone: Trade King Xiu Cheng, I am the smartest manager in the entire league.
Chapter 42 Stone: Trade King Xiu Cheng, I am the smartest manager in the entire league.
It must be Wang Xiucheng.
There was no need to watch the previous recordings anymore; Stone was now certain that these old foxes' target was Wang Xiucheng.
Stone was quite surprised by Wang Xiucheng's speed and control in the video.
This is definitely not the level a rookie should be at.
He had seen Wang Xiucheng train, and his control and movement were definitely not as skillful as in the video.
While it may be an exaggeration, Stone believes that even peak Iverson's ball handling was only this good.
But Iverson was the number one draft pick back then, while this Chinese player was on a two-way contract.
Since you all want this Chinese person so much, let's see how sincere you are.
Stone's first thought wasn't to nurture Wang Xiucheng, but to make a deal.
While Wang Xiucheng was at a relatively high price and had not yet exposed more weaknesses.
Yes, Stone believes that Wang Xiucheng has a fatal weakness, and more than one.
First, there's the physical problem that's common among Chinese people: they're short with short wingspans, they can't jump high, they're not strong, and their personalities aren't suitable for long-term development in the NBA.
This almost certainly means that Wang Xiucheng is unlikely to become an All-Star caliber player.
Then there's Wang Xiucheng's "independence".
In the game against the Warriors, Wang Xiucheng took a total of 19 shots, including 15 three-pointers.
That's more shot attempts than Green, and even more than Curry on the other side.
What merit or ability does one have to be two-way?
Don't you know your own status?
Fortunately, his shooting percentage was acceptable in the game against the Warriors, and he scored 26 points. But no one can maintain such a high shooting percentage all the time; even Curry has his off days.
Wang Xiucheng doesn't like to pass the ball, so he offers very little help to others.
Yes, he doesn't like to pass the ball.
Based on the game footage from the game against the Warriors, Stone believes he has a complete understanding of Wang Xiucheng's playing style.
Such a player has a very limited ceiling. If a team wants Wang Xiucheng, they can immediately trade for him as long as they offer him satisfactory assets.
As for Fertitta's so-called Chinese market, all we need to do is find another Chinese person with a two-way contract.
If it's hard to find a player like Yao Ming who's 2.2 meters tall, how hard is it to find a player like Yao Ming who's 1.9 meters tall?
Everyone says I'm a rookie manager, with no connections, no experience, no vision, and no team willing to trade with me. Well, I'll trade one and show you.
And it has to be a trade that shocks the entire league.
When you see me then, you'll all have to give me a thumbs up and secretly exclaim, "What an amazing deal!"
With that thought in mind, he picked up the phone, hesitated for a moment, and then called Pelinka.
The phone rang a few times before being answered. Pelinka seemed to yawn before impatiently asking, "Stone, you'd better have something important to say."
"Do you want Wang Xiucheng?" Stone wasted no time and directly exposed the other party.
Pelinka laughed for a while, and without any embarrassment, he generously admitted: "You are indeed very smart. Given time, you will definitely have a place in the league."
Stone was quite flattered and became rather smug.
“Tell me your bargaining chips,” Stone said. “Wang Xiucheng is our best young player. I’m not afraid to tell you, the team has decided to make Wang Xiucheng the core player. You won’t get this Chinese kid unless you have something that tempts me.”
“A first-round pick, plus the team’s young players,” Pelinka said directly on the other end of the phone.
Stone sneered: "Are you kidding me? The Lakers' first-round picks are worthless unless you add another one, then we're not even worth talking about."
Pelinka paused, clearly not expecting Stone to give that answer.
Yes, I didn't expect that.
Pelinka thought Stone had really discovered Wang Xiucheng's value, which was why he said one first-round pick wasn't enough. Little did he know... Stone thought the Lakers' first-round picks were worthless and that's why he wanted to raise the price.
This guy has absolutely no idea of Wang Xiucheng's true value.
That Stone, he really is an idiot.
“You know we don’t have many first-round picks, two is already our limit.” Pelinka barely managed to stop himself from laughing out loud.
Stone's eyes lit up slightly, but he still pretended to be deep: "I still need to discuss it with other teams. You know, many teams are interested in Wang Xiucheng."
Just then, the door creaked open, and a young man who looked to be in his early twenties walked in.
Stone wasn't angry; he simply nodded as a greeting.
Pelinka seemed to struggle for a moment before speaking again on the phone: "I can give you Reeves, and two first-round picks. The Lakers are very sincere, and we also want to cultivate the Chinese market."
Stone's eyes shone even brighter. Although Reeves had only played a few games, he had already gained the recognition of most teams in the league, and it was generally believed that Reeves had the ability to be a first-round pick.
Before the season started, the Lakers had already given Reeves a two-year contract. If a player doesn't have the ability, would the Lakers give him a two-way player a two-year official contract?
Two first-round picks, Garrett?
Earn a fortune!
If Stone hadn't noticed the boy's unpleasant expression, he would have made the decision immediately.
“I will seriously consider it, Mr. Pelinka.” Stone put down the phone with a victorious smile on his face.
Everyone says I, Stone, am a rookie, that I always lose money in every trade, and that I even treat that piece of trash, Porter Jr., like a treasure.
But you guys know nothing! Porter Jr. will definitely make it big; he'll definitely be an All-Star in the future.
When you find out that I traded a two-way contract for two first-round picks and Reeves, let's see who still dares to say I don't know how to make trades.
"Patrick, what brings you here?" Stone, who was feeling smug, suddenly remembered that there was someone else in the room, so he quickly got up to pour water for the boy.
The boy was Patrick Fertitta.
Seeing Stone's smug look, Patrick knew that the guy was probably going to be fooled again, just like with Porter Jr. last time.
Everyone said that Porter Jr. was a locker room bomb and should be avoided, but Stone treated him like a treasure. That's how smug he was back then.
"You're going to make a trade with the Lakers? Who are you trading for?" Patrick asked, taking the water.
“Wang Xiucheng, that’s the Chinese guy,” Stone said smugly. “The Lakers were willing to offer two first-round picks and Reeves, but I didn’t agree immediately. You see, I’ve received a lot of trade inquiries. I’m going to ask around some more. There might be even more fools out there…”
Patrick's face darkened. "There might be even sillier ones?"
Stop asking, you're the dumbest guy in the whole league!
Dad's right. If I hadn't come to the team, the team would have been torn apart by that good-for-nothing Stone!
Patrick's face darkened. "Two things."
Holding up one finger, Patrick said, "First, I've been appointed as the team's CEO. My dad will personally deliver the appointment notice today."
“Second,” Patrick said, holding up another finger, “Wang Xiucheng is not for sale. This is the first order I’ve given as CEO.”
"What?" Stone asked in surprise.
Patrick was not surprised by his appointment as CEO.
After Ted Brown left office, Fertitta had long intended to appoint Patrick to the position, but Patrick was obsessed with a life of pleasure and kept putting it off.
What surprised him was the second thing: Wang Xiucheng was not for sale?
How can this be?
How can an undrafted player and a player on a two-way contract be considered untouchable?
Fertitta has said before that no one on his team is untouchable, not even Harden.
How come Wang Xiucheng is considered non-saleable?
"Does your father know about this?" Stone asked cautiously.
He wasn't sure if this was the boss's idea or Patrick's own.
Patrick is still young, and he probably said that because he saw that Wang Xiucheng was Chinese and could make money for his family.
“That’s what I mean,” Patrick replied directly. “Take a look at Wang Xiucheng’s previous games first, starting from the game against the Celtics, which was right when you went on vacation.”
Patrick deliberately emphasized the word "vacation," seemingly to express his displeasure.
Stone breathed a sigh of relief; it was indeed Patrick's own idea.
"I just watched the game tape of the team and the Warriors. Wang Xiucheng is good. His speed and ball handling are quite good, but he is a bit selfish. He rarely passes the ball and takes too many shots. Even when other people have better opportunities, he still chooses to shoot himself. Moreover, his physical attributes are not very good."
Patrick shook his head and said very seriously, word by word, "I'll say it again, you start with the Celts and then talk to me, Mr. Raphaelstone."