Brad Miller arrived at the Spurs two seasons ago and won a championship ring. Even if He Xi Meng had schemes against him, he had treated him well.
Reed had been with the Spurs for one season, and He Xi Meng's original plan was for Reed to also win a championship ring before leaving. Little did he know, plans don't always go as expected. Duncan's unexpected injury this season meant the Spurs missed out on the NBA Finals, and Reed was unable to ride the Spurs' coattails to a championship ring.
If the trade was successful, as compensation, He Xi Meng planned to treat Reed to a grand meal before he left the Spurs, saying some encouraging words like "See you on the All-Star stage," to make their connection worthwhile. Of course, if there was an opportunity in the future, He Xi Meng would also try to help Reed make up for the regret of not winning a championship ring.
Brad Miller plus Reed was the combination He Xi Meng believed best matched the value of the Wizards' first-round pick. However, "Air Jordan" didn't seem to think so. Therefore, it was hard to say how the Wizards would ultimately choose. Brad Miller, as the main chip, should remain firm, but whether Reed would become the second chip was uncertain. It would depend on whether the advisors around "Air Jordan" had the same eye and taste as him…
"Your operational ability is impressive! It turns out you not only have extraordinary talent in playing and coaching, but your talent in team operations is equally astonishing! I swear, if you retire now, I will apply to the owner to hire you as the Spurs' General Manager! From now on, all player operations will be entrusted to you…"
Although Popovich had a habit of showering praise, He Xi Meng could still feel a hint of genuine surprise in the old man's words.
"As long as the privilege you gave me wasn't wasted! I'm not interested in professional operations. The reason I wanted to be involved in player transactions was to confirm in advance which players I would be playing with next season… You know, as a point guard, I have to pay attention to who my teammates are! Because it greatly affects my personal performance… Well, next, let's discuss Ginobili's contract renewal…"
Ginobili's first contract with the Spurs was for two years and $2 million! Because Ginobili had no prior experience playing in the United States at the time, and it was uncertain whether he could adapt to the American style of basketball, no team was willing to offer him a lucrative contract, and neither were the Spurs.
However, Ginobili was also swayed by He Xi Meng's words and was full of yearning to play in the NBA. At the same time, unable to afford the buyout with Virtus Bologna, he was forced to accept He Xi Meng's "angel investment," mortgaging 15% of his future salary in return.
Therefore, in the two seasons with the Spurs, Ginobili trained and played with great effort! Fortunately, this effort now paid off. Ginobili had successfully established himself in the league, just as Simon had predicted! Although there was still a gap to All-Star level, his second contract should at least be a mid-level exception contract.
For example: $16 million over 4 years! An average annual salary of $4 million. This was the new contract Popovich had prepared for Ginobili.
Ginobili's biggest problem now was inconsistency.
If Ginobili could maintain a reliable level of performance, he should be worth at least $5 million! The missing $1 million was the price for his erratic play.
Other teams in the league had also offered Ginobili contracts with annual salaries reaching $5 million, hoping to lure him away. However, Ginobili was aware of his own issues; switching teams might mean a coach and teammates who wouldn't tolerate his inconsistent form. While he might earn more money in the short term, without stable playing time, his next contract wouldn't be guaranteed, making it a loss in the long run.
Popovich's mixed feelings, along with the strong support from He Xi Meng and Duncan, were reasons for Ginobili to stay with the Spurs. Therefore, when the Spurs management tentatively offered a $16 million contract over 4 years, Ginobili accepted without hesitation. All that remained was to complete the final signing once the trade window opened.
He Xi Meng could draw $2.4 million in returns from this contract, successfully recouping his investment with a slight profit. However, He Xi Meng did not intend to take advantage of Ginobili. After recovering his $2 million cost, the remaining money would be injected into the newly established Simon Brothers Foundation in Ginobili's name.
He Xi Meng had handed the operation of this foundation to Mickey. The primary funds were, of course, He Xi Meng's own. In addition, it had also sporadically attracted money from Duncan, Da Zhi, Ginobili, Gill, Cui Tianci, and John…
John hadn't actually invested any money; he spent whatever he earned and never saved. However, He Xi Meng had forcibly deducted a portion of his commissions and deposited it into the foundation regularly… John seemed not to have noticed…
Ginobili was unaware of what He Xi Meng had done for him, still feeling pained that a piece of his hard-earned salary had been taken away by He Xi Meng again…
However, even with He Xi Meng taking a portion, Ginobili could escape his debt-ridden situation and start his beautiful new life in America.
These three were the contracts the Spurs needed to prioritize this summer.
In addition, veterans Elliott and Kerr might need to be offered veteran contracts.
Elliott's contract last season was as high as $5.3 million. This season, if Elliott continued to play, he would likely have to accept a veteran contract of $1-2 million. The freed-up salary would be just enough to cover the salary of a rookie first-round pick!
In the 2001 season, the salary for a rookie first-round pick was approximately $17.2 million over 4 years! $3.7 million in the first year, $4 million in the second, $4.2 million in the third, and $5.3 million in the fourth!
David Robinson's salary dropped from $14.8 million last season to around $10 million, freeing up $5 million in salary cap space, which was just enough for the salary increases of Duncan, He Xi Meng, and Ginobili for the new season.
Duncan's salary for the new season was $9.6 million, He Xi Meng's was $8 million, and Ginobili's was $3.5 million!
In other words, after this accounting, the Spurs' salary cap space was roughly the same as last season. If the league's salary cap increase was taken into account, the Spurs' total salary cap space would actually be more abundant than last season… Well, this felt very Spurs-like.