Chapter 1 Leaving the Airport

After getting off the plane, Tang Tian and Fagan left the airport together.

Fagan had already made an appointment with Spurs General Manager RC Buford to sign the rookie contract in his office today.

Tang Tian also took out his phone to call Kawhi Leonard and Cory Joseph. Before leaving New York, he had contacted the two, who were also team rookies this year, through Fagan, and made an appointment to report together.

The two of them were on the phone as they left the airport.

"Godfather! Godfather!"

Unexpectedly, there were dozens of Spurs fans waiting outside the airport to greet them.

Fagan took the phone aside to continue his call, while Tang Tian greeted Joseph and hung up the phone, then walked towards the fans.

Because of the "Godfather" connection, he was probably the most popular 31st pick, and this kind of battle was unprecedented.

There were even a few reporters in the crowd, which really fit Tang "Never Low-Key Spurs Rookie" Tian's identity.

Tang Tian knew that these fans must have been waiting for a long time. After passing by, he cooperated with them to take photos and sign autographs, and also accepted a brief interview with the local media.

Fagan waited aside for more than ten minutes before the two turned around and got into a taxi.

"You don't have to waste time on this," Fagan said after getting into the taxi.

"I know what I'm doing." Tang Tian didn't say much. He knew the importance of fans from his previous life as a coach.

The driver recognized Tang Tian and chatted with him with a smile while driving, and Tang Tian responded with a smile.

Fagan looked helpless. This was probably the most patient rookie he had ever seen, completely inconsistent with his age.

After more than half an hour, the car arrived at the Spurs' home court, the AT&T Center. After getting out of the car, they waited at the door for a while, and then entered the arena together after Leonard and Joseph arrived.

Leonard looked as expressionless as he did in the NCAA, with a "no admittance" aura. Joseph, the rookie from Canada, was very talkative, and pulled Tang Tian to chat about the NCAA period.

"If we could have won against the University of Texas back then, we might have faced you in the Western Conference Finals. Kawhi, speaking of which, you and Tang faced each other in the tournament. All three of us are from the Western Conference, this is really fate..." Joseph only played in the NCAA for one year, at the University of Texas.

The University of Texas was the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference this year, before UConn. Unfortunately, they were upset in the 32-to-16 round by Texas. Otherwise, all three of them would have been opponents who faced each other. From opponents to teammates, it really was fate as Joseph said.

Tang Tian smiled and patted Joseph on the shoulder, while Leonard remained expressionless.

"Kawhi, cheer up, we're about to be members of the Spurs, this is a great team." Joseph said with a smile when he saw his expression.

Leonard turned to look at Joseph, still expressionless, and then turned his head again.

Joseph smiled awkwardly, then continued to chat with Tang Tian, not wanting to make a fool of himself.

Tang Tian also glanced at Leonard at this time, wondering what the child had experienced to have such a personality.

As they were talking, the group entered the arena, and a staff member came to lead them towards the office.

When they entered the office, team general manager RC Buford was already inside, but to their surprise, head coach Popovich was also inside, sitting by the window, looking up at them as they came in.

Fagan and the others went to greet Buford, while Tang Tian greeted Joseph and went to greet Popovich.

"Old Man, are we drinking red wine tonight?" Tang Tian said with a smile.

Popovich laughed out loud after hearing this. Tang Tian was really the most interesting rookie he had ever seen.

Joseph looked at Tang Tian in surprise. He thought he was talkative enough, but he didn't expect Tang Tian to be even more fierce.

"We'll drink red wine another day. Today, we're signing contracts. After signing, I'll take you around the arena." Popovich said with a smile.

"Thank you, Old Man."

Tang Tian said as he motioned for Joseph to sit down.

Popovich smiled and looked at Leonard, who was silent in the back, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

Tang Tian was as enthusiastic as fire, but Leonard looked as cold as ice. The team's rookies this year had really different styles.

Leonard and Joseph were both first-round picks, and their contracts were fixed. After the agent confirmed them, they signed them quickly.

Tang Tian, as a second-round pick, was special, and his contract had multiple forms, so it had to be negotiated.

Popovich first took Leonard and Joseph to familiarize themselves with the arena, and Fagan and Buford were left in the office, sitting down to start negotiating.

Tang Tian sat aside and listened.

Buford showed the Spurs' sincerity. They were willing to offer a four-year, fully guaranteed contract like a first-round pick.

However, Fagan insisted on signing only a one-year guaranteed contract, and the two sides had a big disagreement.

The negotiation lasted for more than half an hour. In the end, Buford changed the four-year full guarantee to a three-year guarantee, but Fagan still insisted on a one-year contract, even if it was unguaranteed.

Seemingly just a change in the contract period, a seemingly breezy conversation, but in fact it was the same as a real fight on the battlefield.

NBA contracts are very complicated, and only professional agents and general managers can negotiate.

Taking the simplest term as an example, a four-year fully guaranteed contract represents four years of cheap labor, and the last two years are team options. If it is three years, according to league rules, Tang Tian's Bird rights can be retained. If it is two years, there will at least be an Early Bird right and an Arenas clause, but if it is one year, there will be nothing.

Buford frowned at Tang Tian at the end of the negotiation. To be honest, he really didn't want to deal with Fagan.

Tang Tian smiled and looked at Buford without speaking. Obviously, his meaning was to leave this kind of thing to the agent.

The negotiation could not continue. At this time, Popovich returned to the office.

Buford cast a helpless look at Popovich when he saw him coming in.

Although Buford was the general manager, he was only promoted in 2002. Before that, Popovich was the team's general manager for eight years.

Popovich went over and sat down, asking about the differences in the negotiations between the two sides.

At the end of the negotiation, he also glanced at Tang Tian. After seeing the latter's expression, he turned his head and exchanged a few words with Buford, and finally made a decision.

"Two-year guaranteed contract."

Obviously, what Popovich gave was the limit that the Spurs could bear. They couldn't spend a year cultivating a rookie.

Tang Tian stood up at this time and sat next to Fagan. This was the code between the two.

Fagan nodded in agreement.

A one-year contract was what Tang Tian wanted most, because the shorter the term, the shorter the time he would be cheap labor, but he also knew that the Spurs would most likely not agree, so two years was completely acceptable to him. He had also requested this before the Heat gave their draft promise.

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