Chapter 21 A Final Decision

After opening the wine and having a drink, they chatted idly. This was a completely different atmosphere from the meetings of the past few days.

To be honest, it didn't even feel like a meeting; it was just a meal.

This was how it should be. The Spurs were his parent team, and the discussion wasn't about a contract, but about whether they would match the contract.

"Tang, a three-year poison pill contract. Gregg and I have already discussed it, and we have the ability to persuade management to agree," Buford said to Tang Tian.

He was under the most pressure on the Spurs' side right now.

"I've already met with several other teams, and they're all offering four-year contracts."

Tang Tian didn't hide anything. He knew about the unpleasantness between Leonard and the Spurs in his previous life.

If he really had to leave, he didn't want to do it that way.

He chose to communicate honestly, as it was the best way to maximize his interests. If the Spurs were willing to spend big, they would. If not, he would leave gracefully.

"Do you want to be the team's core player?"

Popovich put down his wine glass at this point, looking at Tang Tian as he asked.

Tang Tian nodded.

Popovich had been coaching in the NBA for more than 20 years, and he had already guessed his intentions.

Actually, he should have realized that if Tang Tian didn't want to be the core player, there was no reason for him to leave the Spurs.

Popovich didn't speak again, and the atmosphere became a little awkward.

"Your ball-handling ability isn't good enough to be a core player right now; you need time," Popovich said after a long while.

"I'm confident, Coach," Tang Tian replied calmly.

Popovich was taken aback.

"I knew you were this kind of person a long time ago. I knew it when we signed your rookie contract."

After a moment, he gave a wry smile, then nodded.

Seeing Popovich's reaction, Tang Tian didn't feel good either.

He had spent two years in San Antonio, and he had developed feelings for Popovich, as well as his teammates like Duncan and Ginobili.

Especially for someone his age, the emotional aspect was the hardest to overcome.

"Tim told me he wanted to retire early, and he said that if he retired early, the team would have enough salary cap space to sign you," Buford said at this time.

Tang Tian was stunned when he heard this, then couldn't help but grin foolishly.

Duncan was always so quiet, but he always chose to contribute silently behind the scenes.

Why did he have such a teammate!

"Coach, if the Spurs are willing to match the four-year contract, I'm willing to wait two more years, but only if Tim retires two years later," Tang Tian said.

He didn't want Duncan to retire early because of him.

He ended up letting his emotions get the better of him, disrupting his entire plan.

"Okay."

Popovich looked at Tang Tian and nodded.

This meeting went faster than expected because of Duncan, and because of Tang Tian's compromise.

The free agent market continued to churn out various verbal agreements, but they wouldn't be able to sign official contracts until the moratorium ended in July.

During those few days, Tang Tian had a second meeting with the Rockets, Mavericks, and Pelicans to decide which team to ultimately sign with.

The topics discussed in the second meeting were more detailed and in-depth.

And in the process, Tang Tian jokingly raised a question.

"Can I be involved in the team's management decisions? If I help the team make the playoffs, or go even further?"

This was a very sensitive question, especially considering he was still just a role player.

So he only said it in a semi-joking manner.

"You have a great sense of humor." This was Morey's answer.

"Ah, haha." This was Cuban's reaction.

"If you can do it, there's no reason why not." This was Benson's reply.

After hearing the responses from the three teams, Tang Tian basically had his answer in his heart.

Actually, with each of the three teams having their own advantages and disadvantages, he could go anywhere. But this semi-joking topic was something he had to do in the future.

He had been watching the draft from the sidelines for two consecutive years, and he couldn't take it anymore.

And more importantly, he didn't want to be the kind of person who played his heart out but was dragged down by a terrible management team.

Moreover, he was a transmigrator, and the effect of his management intervention was completely different from that of James.

On July 11th, after the NBA moratorium ended, Tang Tian made his final decision.

He had Fegan contact the Mavericks and Rockets first, and then he himself called Dell Demps.

He would sign the offer sheet with the Pelicans.

Soon after Tang Tian contacted Demps, Demps met with Tang Tian.

The two sides quickly signed the contract.

Demps even took a photo and posted it on his personal Twitter.

"The future of the Pelicans, Tang and AD."

Soon, Woj also followed up with a report that Tang had accepted the Pelicans' four-year deal worth approximately $40 million, with a starting salary of $5 million and max money in the final two years.

As soon as the signing news broke, social media exploded.

"Did I see that right! My Pelicans finally came out on top?!"

"This decision is really surprising. I originally thought Tang would definitely go to Houston!"

"Yeah, the Rockets are the best at developing Chinese players! Speaking of which, they've had a miserable summer, failing to acquire Howard and Tang..."

"I also think it's strange. Even if he didn't go to Houston, he should have at least gone to Dallas. No state tax!"

"It's okay, we're used to it. Dallas Mavericks: Always Empty Promises in the Offseason."

"Can any basketball experts explain why he chose the Pelicans in the end? Is it because they have New Orleans chicken wings?"

"New Orleans doesn't have New Orleans chicken wings! As a Pelicans fan, I think Tang's choice is great. We already have AD as our core center, and if Tang comes, we'll have a Twin Stars duo, plus Holiday and Gordon. We'll be back in the playoffs next season!"

"Are you guys hyping up Tang too much? He's just a system player from the Spurs; how can he be the team's core!"

"Yeah, if I were Tang, I'd definitely pray that the Spurs match the contract. Otherwise, his numbers will shrink significantly if he really goes to the Pelicans. This might be the first and last big contract of his career!"

"Is Tang about to become Tang 'Doesn't Know His Own Limitations' Tian?"

"Why are there so many haters all of a sudden? Tang is only in his second year! Kobe was still a substitute in his second year, right? And he's already won two championships!"

"This reminds me of Durant's 'system player' comments, and that was definitely proven. Tang, as a system player, can't leave the Spurs."

"So will the Spurs match the contract or not?!"

"Who knows? But we should have a result soon. According to the rules, the parent team has a maximum of 72 hours to decide whether to match the contract. Let's wait and see!"

...

P.S.: My original plan was to finish the final result today, but as I was writing, I realized I needed another chapter. Um, next chapter, next chapter will be the final result, sorry, sorry.