502: 185: Taste buds grow at the end of the large intestine (asking for monthly votes!)_4 502: 185: Taste buds grow at the end of the large intestine (asking for monthly votes!)_4 “Should I start preparing early?” Eric Fleisher meant to start looking for a new team.
Since Roger began the precedent of “players controlling their own destiny,” trading players had never been solely up to the team.
Roger nodded, “Being prepared is never a bad thing.”
Garnett was immediately excited, “Will you come to Minneapolis!?”
Maybe,” Roger answered nonchalantly.
He had no special demands for his next destination; even if it was a terrible team, it didn’t matter as long as the management had the ambition to win championships.
Rest assured, Roger, I’m not a fool like Shaq; I won’t cause any trouble.
I mean it—if I can’t do it, I’ll grow taste buds at the end of my colon!”
The three of them, who were eating pizza, suddenly stopped their motions.
They were all high school students, so why did Garnett speak with such flavor?
The next day, DeVos and Gabriel were also considering the future of their team on the golf course.
Shaq’s departure was a fact, and the Magic Team had no intention of retaining him.
Now, their main target was Roger.
Roger could make the Magic Team money, and there’s no businessman in the world who would disagree with money.
But there’s also no businessman in the world who isn’t greedy.
Many businessmen you know have fortunes that are astronomical figures, yet not a single one of them is willing to stop.
Everyone, no matter how much they’ve earned, will continue to pursue greater profits.
That was exactly what DeVos was doing now—he hoped to keep Roger and also to increase profits.
But this contradicted winning championships; it was a matter of investment return ratio.
The Magic Team’s market was already saturated and no longer needed championships to boost the market, so pursuing championships was no longer cost-effective.
Only by reducing investment could they increase profits.
Frankly, regarding Roger’s question, “If there really was a chance to win the championship, how would you choose between avoiding taxes and winning?” DeVos would now undoubtedly choose the former.
So, his goals did not align with Roger’s.
John Gabriel’s point was, “Even if our goals don’t align, using Roger for another year is beneficial.
We can extract all the value from him.
That way, even if he leaves later, we won’t be at a loss.”
But Rich DeVos was worried about Roger’s player option next year, “He’s the type who would pay any price for a championship; if we only keep him temporarily, he will still opt out of the contract next summer.
By then, we will have nothing and have lost him for nothing.”
“So you think we should actively trade him?
Cash in some chips while we can?”
We can make Roger famous, but we can also make others famous.
The totem of Orlando can be Roger, but it can also be someone else.
Since his goals don’t align with ours, parting ways is just a matter of when rather than if; we might as well make the most of his trade value to obtain the next totem of Orlando, a cheaper totem.”
“He’s naturally our top target, but acquiring him will be difficult.
In my opinion, that kid from Florida is also not bad.”
“He’s got potential, doesn’t he?
And, he’s a local from Florida.
Although he’s not from Orlando, that’s something the marketing department can package.
‘The Chosen Son of Orlando,’ how about that idea?
Trust me, if Akron had a basketball prodigy, the Cavaliers would shamelessly proclaim him as ‘Cleveland’s Chosen Son.’
The last person who traded Roger now has grown taste buds at the end of his colon.
Watching us win a championship, Jerry must feel like he’s eating shit every day.”
“Your metaphor is interesting, but, John, we’re different from Jerry,” DeVos said as he swung his golf club powerfully, sending the ball far, “We’re not forced to let go of Roger; we’re actively choosing the future of our team.”
DeVos thought his plan was quite good.
Whether it was Duncan or T-Mac, either could lead the team to become new championship contenders before the remnants of their dynasty completely faded, and they wouldn’t have to pay such high salaries.
Most importantly, neither T-Mac nor Duncan had a personality as domineering as Roger’s.
This meant that they might become “one of us,” unlike the difficult-to-manage Roger, who constantly clashed with the management.
Jerry Krause’s trade of Roger was indeed the worst trade in NBA history, but DeVos believed he was different from Krause.
Everyone who makes a decision, even knowing those who made the same decision before have ended up disastrously, thinks they’re different and believes, “I won’t be that unlucky.”
A few days later, the free agent market opened.
Shaquille O’Neal joined the Los Angeles Lakers on the first day of the market opening with a seven-year contract worth $120 million.
Simultaneously, the Magic Team officially announced their intention to trade Roger.
A new era of basketball began in California.
And the story of the Magic World dynasty thus came to an end.