One Year Left to Play-Chapter 124 - 40: Everyone Boards the Pirate Ship Together
"The biggest gainers of the ’Decision’ first season were undoubtedly the Heat and the Three Giants, but for agents, the biggest beneficiaries were actually the players a notch below the Three Giants. Many teams cleared salary space for James, Bosh, and Wade, and when the Three Giants formed a team, other teams had no use for their salary cap and ended up offering high salaries to the second-tier players. Second-tier is better than none, but it also resulted in many overpriced contracts and bad deals, becoming one of the reasons for the 2011 lockout."
Zhang Hao saw the news about his birthday celebration, where the Three Giants of the Heat went to celebrate with him.
Seeing is believing, and Zhang Hao also understood the power of agents. The future Lakers relied on James and James’ brother, Rich Paul, to turn the "Lakers Championship" slogan into reality.
That was 24 years later when players had more control over themselves!
At present, although the once-dominant Falcao Talent Agency, which had over half of the league’s players, had declined, the power of agents was still significant.
Although Zhang Hao had his own ideas, he still needed to meet with them.
The lockout had ended, and in at most half a month, he estimated he would need to go to Rutherford Town to handle these matters, to avoid trouble when rejoining the team.
He also wanted to get to the team for more professional training; the facilities of an NBA team’s arena are certainly the most advanced of this era, and the training facilities are definitely the most complete.
Most importantly, for training beyond shooting, NBA teams have more professional guidance.
It seemed that the Brooklyn Nets had no chances for major trades; Coleman was gone, and only Kenny Anderson was left, definitely not to be sent away. After Zhang Hao agreed to Pelinka’s suggestion to have a meeting, he said, "Robert, can you help me gather information on the players currently on the Brooklyn Nets? Thank you..."
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Looking at the middle-aged man in front of him, who appeared like an American farmer, Zhang Hao couldn’t believe that this seemingly honest person had turned teams around in the summer of 2010.
But after the meeting started, Zhang Hao understood why this agent could manipulate those teams. He felt that Henry Thomas spoke very "genuinely," possibly due to his image and demeanor, which gave Thomas a natural advantage in this regard. Whether he’s really genuine or not doesn’t matter; at least when he talks, he seems genuine. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
"...I think, Aix, your first goal in your rookie season should be to secure your position as an off-ball shooter. I believe your shooting and athletic abilities can earn you some playing time with the Brooklyn Nets, but you need to be patient. The NBA is different from high school; it’s tough to have a core role like in high school. However, I will communicate with the team to let them know your abilities. I will also help you in other ways. Alan Houston is also one of our company’s players, and I can arrange for you to practice shooting with him; he’s very helpful..."
The words were genuine, the suggestions were practical, and Henry Thomas consistently showcased his persona—genuineness.
Nonetheless, Zhang Hao remained calm. Even if he didn’t know that Henry Thomas could turn teams around in the future, he stayed composed for other reasons. One reason is that he has a few years of work experience, unlike an average 18-year-old high school graduate. Another reason is that he has only over 300 days to live, requiring him to handle many career matters more calmly.
After Henry Thomas finished outlining his suggestions and development plan for the coming year, Zhang Hao said, "Mr. Thomas, I’ve already signed my rookie contract, and there’s no certainty that I can secure another contract in the future. You surely know the average career length of NBA players. Even though I’m a lottery pick, the average career length for lottery picks isn’t particularly long. Aren’t you afraid of working for free for a few years?"
"I’m afraid," Henry Thomas replied bluntly and continued, "But I believe salary is only a part of your income. While I know you won’t let others interfere with your collaboration with Starbucks, I think your commercial value is underestimated. As long as you perform well, I believe with China’s vast market and the global Chinese market, your endorsement income won’t be low. Although there is risk, I think you’re worth my effort, Aix."
Henry Thomas’s words made Zhang Hao’s eyes light up.
After meeting so many agents, Henry Thomas was the first to be so perceptive about the Chinese market!
Before Yao Ming entered the NBA and brought massive commercial benefits to Houston, NBA teams and agents didn’t pay attention to the Chinese market.
In recent years, the news Zhang Hao saw about China was terrible. It’s not just now; even over 20 years later, there is rarely any positive news about China in the United States.
When Zhang Hao previously met with agents looking to sign him, it was clear they just wanted to take a chance on him, to see if he could prove himself and whether he could sign another contract three years later.
For those renowned agents, he already had no value after signing his rookie contract, but there were still many less successful agents wanting to sign him.
Yet none of them mentioned "market value."
Zhang Hao knew that as long as he performed well, his market value wouldn’t be low, and endorsement fees would naturally come, but none of the agents he met brought up this point.
