497: 184: About the Future (Vote for Monthly Ticket!)_2 497: 184: About the Future (Vote for Monthly Ticket!)_2 “Is there a clearer signal than this?
I’ve been saying that Shaq will definitely leave Orlando.
The only suspense is where he will land next.”
“Which teams are interested in Shaq at the moment?”
“That’s a bad question, Steve.
Put it this way, list all the teams in the league that still have salary cap space, then randomly pick one—that team will definitely be interested in Shaq!”
While Magic and Steve Jones were chatting, the Magic Team’s parade had already reached the outside plaza of the Orlando Arena.
Among the cheers of the crowd, Michael Cage, Wilkins, and Saru, the three who were about to retire, spoke the most and were the most emotional.
As the protagonist, he only made some very official remarks, seemingly distracted during this crucial championship parade.
Shaq’s absence, though unexpected, was something people were psychologically prepared for given his tumultuous relationship with the team management and locker room chaos last season.
Indeed, few players manage to offend both the boss and their teammates.
What people didn’t know was that Roger was also discussing his future with the team.
So, he wasn’t in the mood to say much at the championship parade.
In the past two days, having finally won his third championship, Roger spent time discussing the future direction with the team.
The outcome wasn’t very ideal.
John Gabriel said a lot:
“Of course, we will remain competitive, we will become one of the most successful teams in NBA history, just like the Lakers and the Celtics.”
“We will bring the team back to championship contention within five years.”
“This is your home, so there’s no better place for you than Orlando.”
But no matter how eloquently he spoke, on the issue of luxury tax, John Gabriel remained evasive: “I don’t understand why we are discussing a rule that doesn’t exist?”
Roger responded to him by saying, “Don’t give me that crap!”
Gabriel’s answer about the luxury tax was possibly the least sincere of all because it essentially was an evasion.
In his previous life as a fan, Roger hadn’t cared about the specifics of labor agreements, so he didn’t know exactly when the luxury tax rule was implemented.
But now he had Eric Fleisher by his side, so he was not ill-informed.
He knew very well that the inclusion of the luxury tax rule in the next version of the labor agreement was a foregone conclusion.
With Stern’s philosophy of governing the league, first, he would never allow a team to just spend money to build a galactic battleship that could disrupt the entire league’s balance.
Second, he was definitely going to ensure that smaller market teams could also retain their stars.
So, even if the rule was delayed for a year or two to allow for a buffer period before being implemented, it was definitely going to be enacted.
The two were not discussing a nonexistent rule.
Rather, they were talking about a rule that was about to emerge and would have a significant impact on the league.
As a result, Gabriel still treated Roger like a fool.
Roger wasn’t exactly forcing the owner to pay luxury tax, nor was he demanding a top five teammate in the league.
But there was a very serious issue: “If there truly is a chance to win a championship, how would you choose between avoiding taxes and chasing a championship?”
This was a matter of determination to compete for championships.
Seeing John Gabriel still evading, Roger also made his stance clear, “Unless the team truly has a long-term intention to contend for championships, I won’t exclude other options.”
Roger didn’t owe Orlando anything.
The three consecutive championships he brought to the city definitely justified the largest contract in history.
Thus, he absolutely would not fall out of the championship race just because the owner wanted to save costs.
Keep in mind, the Magic Team couldn’t possibly be losing money.
DeVos’s only purpose in saving costs was to make more money.
Sacrificing his own chance of winning a championship to let the owner earn more money?
Roger would have to be out of his mind to agree.
Roger was fortunate that he had kept a player option in 1998, which gave him an advantage in the negotiations.
John Gabriel said he needed to continue discussions with owner Rich DeVos and would respond to Roger after the draft.
Thus, the plans for future cooperation temporarily stalled.
As for why DeVos did not personally participate in the discussion, Roger didn’t care at all.
He already knew that his relationship with the owner was beyond repair.
After the championship parade, a reporter with a keen sense of smell indeed found Roger.
“Roger, will Shaq return to the Magic Team roster next season?
Will he opt out of his contract?”
“I know nothing about this, you should ask Shaq, if you can find him.”
“And what about you?”
“We all know that you are discussing the future with the team.
A staff member mentioned that you and John talked for two and a half hours in the office two days ago.
What were you discussing?
The future lineup of the team?
“If I wanted the whole world to know what we talked about, why wouldn’t I invite a few reporters to join in the office directly?
Roger said, nodded, and left.
But for reporters, that was enough.
Because they could already convey a message to the outside world: the Magic Team was definitely going to experience some significant upheaval this summer.
The dynasty has reached its end.
Before the Magic and Roger decide their future, other teams in the league still have a lot to do.