vncnus Chapter 16 The Most Important Year of My Career!
Chapter 16 The Most Important Year of My Career!
"Considering the Lakers' history of generosity, and the fact that Rice's contract expires next season, which will free up a lot of cap space for the team, getting a contract worth $5-700 million a year should be no problem for you! But I must also say upfront that if you think your current performance can continue, or even get better, you can wait."
"You'll be worth even more! 800 million, and if your performance continues into the playoffs or even the Finals, 1000 million isn't out of the question."
"It all depends on what you think. If you want to secure the contract, I'll talk to Jerry West as soon as possible and try to get you the best possible contract while you're performing well. If you're confident enough, then wait. You'll have plenty of options during the offseason."
"Wait until the offseason!" Lin Ze answered without hesitation. If it were two months ago, he would definitely have taken advantage of his good form to renew his contract with the Lakers in advance. But now, unless West offers him a maximum salary that he can't refuse, Lin Ze will absolutely not renew his contract in advance.
He'll wait until the offseason!
"Then you'd better keep up the good work and maintain your current performance. Leave the rest to me!"
"The second thing," Schwartz said calmly, "is that your shoe contract expires this year, and Nike has sent someone to make preliminary contact with me. They are very willing to renew your contract."
"Same here, wait until the season ends." Lin Ze's reaction was exactly the same as before: "Unless they offer a price that we simply can't refuse."
Lin Ze said this because he knew that Nike would definitely not offer him a very big contract.
NBA players' shoe contracts are basically divided into three types: signature shoe contracts signed by popular stars. Without exception, those who can sign this type of contract are the league's top stars. Sports brands will design shoes, logos, and exclusive product lines for them, and produce signature shoes for them.
Players in a slightly lower tier sign so-called "cash contracts." These contracts are incomparable to the first type in terms of both amount and brand attention. The players' annual income is generally no more than $100 million. Naturally, brands will not release signature shoes for these players. At most, they will find a few classic models for the best players in this category and release a few exclusive colorways.
The vast majority of players in the league sign "merchant contracts," which are even cheaper. Sports brands don't pay them at all; they just provide various merchandise and sports equipment for free. Players can wear what they need or give it away if they want.
The deal between Lin Ze and Nike is a cash contract, which he signed in his second year with the Bulls. It was a three-year deal worth $1.2 million.
This amount would seem like a pittance 20 years later, but in the late 90s it was a fairly substantial sum.
After all, when he signed the contract, Lin Ze had barely made it into the Bulls' rotation. If it weren't for his Chinese identity, he definitely wouldn't have been able to get a contract of this level. At most, he could only sign a "merchant contract" and be lucky to get a few pairs of free shoes.
In comparison, Pippen's shoe contract that year was only $150 million a year, Barkley's was only $200 million, and Ewing's was only around $100 million.
In comparison, the fact that Lin Ze, a mere bench player, can earn 40 yuan a year is enough to prove that Nike values him highly, or rather, his status.
As for the result, it was not bad. Nike's sales in mainland China have grown quite well in the past two years. They even released a special Chinese red colorway of shoes for Lin Ze, which can be regarded as Lin Ze enjoying the treatment of a star player ahead of time.
"Understood." Schwartz nodded again, already realizing that his old client was completely different from those of a few years ago.
In the past few years, Lin Ze was somewhat unambitious, preferring to make money first and think about other things later, and he almost never expressed any strong desires to himself.
Well... aside from the season when he first joined the Bulls, Lin Ze approached Schwartz several times to see if he could be persuaded to leave, as he didn't want to stay in Chicago.
How could a player who strives for success be willing to leave that Bulls team?
But Lin Ze is completely different now!
Ambitious, confident, and full of the vigor that young people should have.
If his client is ambitious, it means Schwartz can earn more commission, which he is naturally happy to see.
"Well then, I've tried my best to turn down other business collaborations for you. Except for those that offer a lot of money and short-term collaborations, we'll discuss long-term collaborations during this offseason. Next is the third thing." Schwartz calmly listed all the things one by one, analyzing them unhurriedly: "As is customary, the NBA will announce this year's All-Star candidates on the first weekend of November."
"Based on your current performance, you'll definitely be selected for this list!"
The NBA All-Star voting rules of this era are completely different from those of 20 years later.
In this day and age, fans can't just vote for whoever they want, and not every player is qualified to receive All-Star votes.
Every November, the NBA will compile a shortlist of players based on their performance in the current season and previous seasons, with each team having a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 players selected.
Only players on this list are eligible to be selected by fans as All-Star starters.
Lin Ze didn't make the list during his two years with the Bulls. Last year, he was eligible to be selected for the Mavericks, who were in a terrible state, but he didn't even make the All-Star game.
And this year, he will definitely make the list.
"You definitely won't make the bench; there are too many strong forwards in the West," Schwartz bluntly stated. "But you might have a chance if you start!"
"As long as I make the roster, I'm guaranteed a starting spot!" Lin Ze exclaimed with absolute confidence.
After all, he knew that in the 03 All-Star Game, Yao Ming had directly defeated Shaquille O'Neal, who was at his peak, and become the All-Star starter.
Three consecutive championships + O'Neal + Los Angeles couldn't beat Yao Ming + Chinese fans. Lin Ze now has the added bonus of Los Angeles compared to Yao Ming. It's quite reasonable that he defeated one of Duncan and Garnett.
This year, Chinese fans who have been waiting for three years are absolutely able to send Lin Ze to the All-Star game!
They couldn't wait any longer, and Lin Ze was ready!
I have connections, so what if I make the All-Star team?
"That's the spirit!" Schwartz exclaimed with immense satisfaction. "If you make the All-Star team, you'll be able to sign even bigger shoe contracts and player contracts!"
"From a financial perspective, this year will be the most important year of your career! Keep performing well, stay aggressive! And then let's make a fortune together!"