Chapter 569: Don't Let Loyalty Ruin You
Later that night, the Suns booked the hottest nightclub in Phoenix and threw an all night celebration.
After such a tense season, the players had earned the right to cut loose. Music thundered through the club, lights flashed across the room, and drinks kept flowing. Before long, everyone was buzzing. The whole place felt like it was floating on champagne and championship pride.
Azubuike walked over to Chen Yan with a glass in hand. His face was already a little red, and after sitting down beside him, he started rambling about this and that, thanking him over and over, circling the point without ever saying it.
Only after a long while did he finally get to what was really on his mind.
"Chen, my extension talks with the Suns aren't going well."
Chen Yan glanced at him. "They can't agree on the money?"
Azubuike nodded bitterly. "That's exactly it. They only offered me 3 years and 9 million. The team needs to re sign a lot of people this summer, and the owner doesn't want to pay the luxury tax."
He spread his hands, helplessness written all over his face.
That offer really was insulting.
Azubuike had been one of the Suns' biggest contributors during the title run, the first scorer off the bench and a genuine difference maker. In the regular season, he had averaged more than 15 points per game and finished second in both Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player voting.
More importantly, he was not just some spot up shooter. He could create with the ball in his hands, attack off the dribble, and punish defenses in multiple ways. On most teams in the league, a player with his current level would already be starting. He was still young, too, with room to improve.
This was not a summer filled with superstar free agents. Even Boozer could rank near the top of the market, which only made a player like Azubuike more valuable.
"Damn," Chen Yan muttered under his breath. "How did we end up with such a stingy owner?"
Azubuike forced a laugh, then lowered his voice.
"I've got 2 offers right now. Cleveland offered me 3 years and 25 million. The Rockets offered me 2 years and 16 million."
The contrast was brutal.
Compared to what the Suns had put on the table, those numbers looked like they came from a different planet.
The Cavaliers had been doing everything they could to keep LeBron James happy. If they added Azubuike, their perimeter firepower would jump immediately. He was young, proven, and had already played a major role on a championship team.
The Rockets, meanwhile, had already started preparing for life after McGrady. Injuries had dragged McGrady's 2008 to 2009 season down to one of the weakest of his recent years. His decline was no longer something people could pretend not to see. Azubuike's ceiling was nowhere near McGrady's, but as an immediate contributor, he was more than good enough.
Azubuike trusted Chen Yan deeply, so he held nothing back. He laid out every detail, the teams, the offers, the years, the money. Chen Yan listened quietly, then nodded.
"Both of those offers are a lot more sincere than Phoenix's. Which one are you leaning toward?"
Azubuike lifted his drink, drained it in one shot, then sat there in silence for a few seconds.
"I still want to stay with the Suns," he admitted. "I like the basketball here. And I like playing with you."
He had expected Chen Yan to persuade him to stay.
Instead, Chen Yan patted him on the shoulder and said calmly, "Go get the better contract. Don't let loyalty ruin you."
Azubuike froze.
An ordinary player's career only lasted so long. Ten years, maybe a little more if things went well. If he did not make money during that window, the years after retirement could become very hard.
Chen Yan liked Azubuike. He valued him. But that was exactly why he could not ask him to sacrifice his future for the team.
That would not be brotherhood. That would be selfishness.
The moment he heard those words, Azubuike visibly relaxed.
The reason he had come to Chen Yan in the first place was because he wanted to hear this. Chen Yan was not just his teammate, not just his boss. In Azubuike's mind, he was also an older brother. His opinion mattered.
"Don't worry," Chen Yan continued. "Your teammates will understand. The fans will understand too. You were one of the heroes of this championship run. There will always be a place for you here. If anyone gets cursed, it'll be Sarver, that vampire."
Azubuike could not help laughing.
"Thank you, Chen. Really. That helps more than you know."
Then he hesitated, as if weighing his next words carefully.
"But between Cleveland and Houston, I prefer Houston. I don't want to become your enemy, or the Suns' enemy. If I go to Cleveland, we might run into each other in the Finals."
Chen Yan thought about it, then nodded.
"I'd rather you go to Houston too. Yao is there. That means the Rockets will always be one of the most watched teams among Chinese fans. You'll get way more exposure there than you would in Cleveland."
This time, he was speaking as an owner, not just a friend.
Exposure meant value. Value meant money. Azubuike was signed under his studio, so of course Chen Yan wanted him to develop as well as possible. Besides, compared with Cleveland, Houston also came with less pressure. Playing next to LeBron meant every bad night would be magnified.
"Enough about that," Chen Yan said, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "We're all brothers. Tonight, forget the contracts, forget the future. Let's just enjoy ourselves."
And with that, he dragged Azubuike right back into the chaos.
That night, the entire Suns team lost themselves in the celebration. No one knew what the future would look like. No one knew what kind of trouble the team would run into next season. But on this night, none of that mattered.
They were champions.
That alone gave them the right to celebrate until dawn.
…
The next day, while most of the team was still enjoying its vacation, Chen Yan had already gone back to work.
He sent the names of 2 rookies he really liked to the coaching staff and front office.
He was not trying to interfere with management. He was only offering suggestions, but the team was always willing to hear him out. Chen Yan's eye for talent had been better than some scouts', and several key rotation players on the current roster had come in because of his recommendation.
This year's draft class was strong, but unfortunately that had little to do with the Suns. Phoenix only had the 28th pick in the first round and the 60th pick in the second.
Chen Yan more or less ignored the 60th pick.
His real focus was the 28th selection, where hidden gems could still be found if the front office got lucky.
The 2 players he wanted most were Danny Green and Patrick Beverley.
Beverley was known for his defense and his pestering style of play. He was the kind of player opponents hated and teammates loved. To be honest, Chen Yan did not particularly like Beverley. He even found him annoying. But a serious contender always needed a player like that. Beverley also had one important advantage over many rookies, he had already played in Europe, which made him more experienced and battle tested than most first year players.
Compared with Beverley, Danny Green's résumé was even more eye catching.
Among North Carolina fans, Danny Green's standing was ridiculously high. Some even valued him more than Jordan in terms of school legacy.
Legend. Captain. Elite wing defender.
Those were the labels attached to him.
In 2009, he led North Carolina to a national title as a core leader. On that championship starting lineup, the other 4 starters were all projected first round picks. Only Captain Danny Green was projected as a second rounder.
Chen Yan genuinely could not understand it.
Green was 1.96 meters barefoot, with a 2.08 meter wingspan, good bounce, solid strength, and the physical profile of a proper NBA shooting guard. He defended with great instincts, could shoot the ball well, had leadership, and was one of the most well liked players in the locker room.
At this stage, nobody called him Iron Green yet.
The only explanation was that the league had become too obsessed with age based upside for wings, to the point that it overlooked players who were already capable of contributing right away.
That was exactly where Phoenix's opportunity lay.
If Azubuike did not re sign, Danny Green would be an excellent replacement.
In the afternoon, Chen Yan received 3 calls in a row.
One came from veteran LaPhonso Ellis. One from Wally Szczerbiak. The last one came from Hedo Turkoglu, the same man he had just faced in the Finals.
All 3 expressed interest in joining the Suns.
Ever since White Chocolate had joined Phoenix and won a ring, more and more veterans had started looking at the Suns as the perfect place to chase a title. Everyone wanted to board the championship train before retirement.
Chen Yan was not surprised by the calls from Ellis and Szczerbiak.
Both were in the late stages of their careers. If they could win a championship before retiring, it would be the perfect ending.
But Turkoglu's call did surprise him a little.
The Magic had just lost to the Suns in the Finals. Calling this soon afterward almost felt like surrendering and asking to join the winning side.
Turkoglu was a good player. Chen Yan knew that very well. But he also understood the Suns' structure. The team did not need another point forward. Between Chen Yan himself, Nash, and Diaw, Phoenix already had 3 players who could organize the offense at a high level. Adding Turkoglu would be wasteful, both tactically and financially.
So Chen Yan could only tell him the truth, softened by a little diplomacy.
He said the Suns probably could not meet his salary expectations. He also mentioned that the owner was notoriously cheap and hated paying the luxury tax.
That was partly an excuse.
And partly the plain truth.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]