The Magic had begun contacting the SuperSonics last season to discuss the possibility of a Lewis trade.
The Magic were prepared with a 6-year, $118 million contract, waiting for the trade window to open to finalize the deal with the SuperSonics.
However, He Xi Meng's sudden revelation that he was a free agent made the Magic hesitate.
The primary reason the Magic wanted to sign Lewis was to find a good partner for their dominant inside player, Dwight Howard!
Howard is a center. Who is the best partner for a center? Naturally, it's a point guard!
Therefore, no one was a better fit for Howard than He Xi Meng.
If the Magic had any chance of acquiring He Xi Meng, why would they want Lewis?
Thus, the trade talks between the SuperSonics and the Magic regarding Lewis were shelved.
He Xi Meng urged John to have Superstar Alliance Agency immediately cut off the Magic's hopes of signing him, and at the same time, asked Sam Presti to expedite the inclusion of the Grizzlies into a three-team trade.
While the Lakers' attention was not on the Grizzlies, the priority was to quickly bring Pau Gasol to Seattle.
He Xi Meng's urging only made John complain.
"Brother, the reason I ran away from home years ago was to escape being a tool of the family! Now, not only do I have to manage the agency, but I also have to manage the SuperSonics. I'm working two jobs, you're even more of a capitalist than a capitalist!"
Nominally, John had transferred ownership of Superstar Alliance Agency to Jill, but Jill couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters. She was too busy with her own screenwriting career to get involved in your messy affairs.
So, John became the new owner of the SuperSonics on one hand, and secretly remained the owner of Superstar Alliance Agency on the other, having to do work for both.
"Help me for two more years, and when I retire, I'll set you free immediately. You'll just take the money and not do any work!"
He Xi Meng quickly resorted to delaying tactics, hoping to temporarily quell John's dissatisfaction with his workload, but John wasn't buying it.
"Two years? I'll probably be worked to death in two years!" John lamented.
John's mood seemed a bit off today. He Xi Meng recalled that the stock market had surged again this past week...
"Did you get margin called again?" He Xi Meng finally pinpointed the problem.
"Brother, it's not about the money..."
"Double your salary!"
"That's too little, too late!"
"Bonus for getting Gasol!"
"How much?"
"I'll cover whatever you lost!"
"Excellent! Deal!"
To make a donkey pull a cart, at least give it some hay.
Anyway, compared to He Xi Meng's recent substantial profits, John's losses were mere pocket change. He Xi Meng considered it a profit-taking adjustment, giving back to the retail investors.
With the money in place, John's work efficiency immediately improved.
Following He Xi Meng's plan, John first rejected the Magic's hopes for He Xi Meng to join Orlando, and then, together with Presti, smoothly brought the disappointed Orlando back to the negotiating table for the Lewis trade.
The Lakers were currently focusing their recruitment efforts on He Xi Meng and Kevin Garnett, with Pau Gasol ranked third.
And for the SuperSonics, under He Xi Meng's behind-the-scenes direction, their primary recruitment target was now the Grizzlies' Pau Gasol!
He Xi Meng's idea was to trade Lewis for Pau Gasol one-for-one!
The Magic's prepared contract for Lewis was $118 million for 6 years, with a salary of $14.88 million for the upcoming season!
Pau Gasol's salary for the next season was $13.74 million, which was basically equivalent to Lewis's salary, a perfect match.
But the Grizzlies weren't foolish!
Lewis's $118 million contract clearly had some padding and was overpriced.
The Magic had intentionally inflated the price to prevent the SuperSonics from matching.
It was only because the SuperSonics couldn't keep Lewis that they had to trade him via a sign-and-trade. In the original timeline, the SuperSonics did let Lewis go for this reason, but now...
Even if Lewis wanted to stay with the SuperSonics, he likely wouldn't have the chance.
After several rounds of negotiations, the SuperSonics made a concession, offering a 2008 first-round draft pick as part of the Lewis trade.
Yes, this 2008 first-round pick was originally intended for the Westbrook signing.
Now, with He Xi Meng's plan to reshape the team, it wouldn't be needed.
The SuperSonics wouldn't become the Thunder, and they wouldn't have the trio of stars...
The SuperSonics sent Lewis + a 2008 first-round pick and successfully acquired the Grizzlies' Pau Gasol.
The Magic provided a first-round pick + a second-round pick + a $9 million trade exception.
The Grizzlies sent Gasol and received two first-round picks + one second-round pick + a $9 million trade exception.
Initially, the Grizzlies also wanted Marc Gasol's contract rights, but the SuperSonics adamantly refused.
He Xi Meng would rather give the Grizzlies the 2008 first-round draft pick rights than send Marc Gasol to the Grizzlies.
By using a player who was definitely leaving, Lewis, to acquire Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies, the SuperSonics made a huge profit on this trade!
Gregg Popovich spoke out immediately: "The SuperSonics are robbing..."
John became the new owner of the SuperSonics and had snatched away his general manager candidate. How could Popovich not know who was orchestrating things behind the scenes for John?
But Popovich chose not to expose it, opting for indirect criticism first.
Following Carter's contract renewal, the major trade of Lewis and Pau Gasol was finalized first, followed by Howard's contract renewal with the Magic and Billups' renewal with the Pistons. The free agency market lost two more big fish.
He Xi Meng remained silent.
The Cavaliers' management had extended He Xi Meng their most sincere invitation: a maximum contract + a no-trade clause + management privileges!
Whatever the Cavaliers could offer, they were willing to offer it to He Xi Meng.
But He Xi Meng's迟迟 no response made LeBron impatient.
"Hey, Simon, interested in fishing by the shores of Lake Erie? The largemouth bass here are a real challenge!"
LeBron directly called He Xi Meng, hoping for a casual invitation, but He Xi Meng politely declined.
"Thanks, LeBron, I'm not very interested in fishing."
"I have the best fishing spot in Cleveland! If you come, I'll give it to you. I guarantee, you won't regret it!"
LeBron refused to give up, specifically emphasizing "I'll give it to you," clearly hinting at something more...