Among the potential owners, there was the Microsoft tycoon Ballmer.
Hansen had been focused on the playoffs and hadn’t paid much attention to this matter, but now that Wallace had brought it up, he recalled that Ballmer was to be the Clippers’ next owner.
How strong was Ballmer’s financial power? To use the fans’ saying, if the rules allowed, he could buy the entire NBA to play with.
Moreover, he himself was passionate about basketball and, like Mavericks owner Cuban, often appeared courtside to cheer on his team.
When it came to willingness to invest in a team, indeed no one could surpass him.
After chatting with Wallace, Hansen found Rondo and Thomas.
The situation with the Clippers was somewhat special, for they were currently essentially without an owner, just like the Hornets had been.
Some consortiums were bidding, but there was no final conclusion yet.
So their current engagement with the Clippers was only at the managerial level.
Hansen had Thomas make contact with the Clippers, then he called over the team’s new general manager, Stu Rush, and shared his intention to move to the Clippers.
The rest was just waiting for the trade.
It was soon after that trade rumors related to him started to emerge in the market.
Secrets can’t keep flames hidden; once trade negotiations begin, there will always be insiders who leak information, and those famous reporters live off such news.
So the difference between NBA rumors and trades is merely that one hasn’t happened while the other eventually does.
This sparked another wave of fervent discussion among fans. Combining Wallace’s resignation, many believed that Hansen would leave Memphis.
However, Hansen didn’t speak out at that time. He had already prepared his farewell letter to the Grizzlies, but that would come after he moved to the Clippers.
This was also a way of maintaining control, as his current contract didn’t include a no-trade clause.
It wasn’t that he had overlooked it when signing the contract; rather, according to league regulations, other than a specific one-year veto right, such as signing a qualifying offer contract and matching an offer sheet, only players who had served in the league for 8 years or more were eligible.
While Hansen was waiting, over on the other side of the United States, in The East, rumors also began flying.
James wanted to return to the Cavaliers.
The son of Akron’s voice began to rise, and promotional efforts for hometown basketball followed.
Within that, there was also a hint of redemption.
James had once said he would bring a championship to Cleveland, and now was the time he was preparing to fulfill that promise.
Clearly, these were Nike’s machinations.
Fans weren’t wrong in calling it the Nike Alliance, because many stories were indeed backed by the operations of capital.
The Lakers’ acquisition of Paul Gasol, part of the Nike camp, paired him with Kobe to exact revenge on the Adidas-favored Garnett-led Boston team.
The Heat’s Big Three was also entirely from the Nike camp, winning two championships in "history."
After the Big Three’s dominance waned, Nike began to build another Nike-dominated trio: Irving, James, and Love.
Now, as the UA’s top player, Hansen had clinched three consecutive championships, making their move all the more necessary.
As for those under capital’s power, they had no strength to resist.
James had to comply to renew his contract; the Cavaliers hadn’t been making the playoffs in recent years, causing the team’s revenue to plummet significantly.
They were merely pawns, without the power to choose. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅✦𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾✦𝗇𝖾𝗍
As time passed, the 2014 NBA Draft was drawing near.
Right before that, an uninvited guest knocked on the door of Hansen’s residence.