NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 132 The market situation is very good.

Jia Fei returned directly to New York from Paris. At this point, only Art Mayok remained at Kemba Walker's house in New York. Lamb and Reggie had already gone home.

"Wow, Ja, you secretly went to Paris behind our backs. We only found out about it from foreign media. And you even showed off your love so openly at the Eiffel Tower. When did you become so manly?" Kemba Walker couldn't help but complain.

"You know about my situation, but going to Paris was a last-minute decision, and I didn't have time to tell you," Jia Fei explained.

Art Mayork said, "Are you afraid that if you tell us, we'll also interfere with your love life?"

Jia Fei smiled and said, "No, it's not like that. Your relationship with me won't affect the two of you being gay!"

Art Mayork: "..."

Kemba Walker: "..."

Jia Fei settled into Kemba Walker's house. They began some simple recovery training. Having not exercised for a while, these guys were visibly gaining weight. That's how it is with basketball players; the intensity of training and games makes it difficult to gain weight, but once they relax and eat more, they gain weight very quickly. That's why you see some players become very fat after retirement—the rebound is too rapid.

The revelation of Jia Fei and Maria Sharapova's relationship has sparked considerable discussion in the United States. Many media outlets have written articles suggesting that Jia Fei's pursuit of fame and fortune by associating with the world's number two tennis player is shameful. Others have pointed out that Jia Fei is just an ordinary player for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the gap in status between him and Sharapova is too large, making a long-term relationship unlikely. Of course, some media outlets also believe that they are both very good-looking, a perfect match, and that love shouldn't be tainted by worldly concerns; love is beautiful and precious.

There are all sorts of opinions. The NBA has entered the Finals, and there are no other games to watch. The NBA is also about to enter its offseason, so these kinds of gossip about NBA players easily attract a lot of attention.

"Want to go watch the Finals?" Kemba Walker suggested.

“Sure!” Jia Fei and Art Mayork naturally had no objections.

The three immediately reached an agreement and boarded a plane to Miami.

Miami is currently in its peak tourist season, and with the added effect of the NBA Finals, the city is packed with tourists and fans.

Many fans who couldn't buy tickets went to bars to watch the game. On the beach, there were women wearing bikinis everywhere, and their colorful and sexy swimsuits were a feast for the eyes.

Jia Fei and his friends managed to get tickets, and on June 19th, they entered the American Airlines Center to watch Game 6 of the Heat-Spurs series.

Jia Fei was very familiar with this arena; they had played their finals here last year. It felt like he was still in the finals, but everything had changed. He gave a wry smile; one must eventually return to reality and not dwell on the past.

Before the game started, Running Man once again sprinkled magnesium powder in their signature way. When it comes to creating these kinds of elaborate rituals, they definitely deserve the title of GOAT. This also aligns well with the development requirements of the NBA's commercial league.

The Spurs were much more low-key. The veteran rookie, number 21, was serious and never showed his emotions. Manu Ginobili's hair was thinning year by year, to the point where he needed to "support the central government from the local level." The Frenchman's baby face was already covered with wrinkles, and he was already an old man. Kawhi Leonard still looked very young, but his expressionless face remained the same, echoing his older brother's blank expression. Mario Hodgson, on the other hand, had a serious face, as if his team did not allow anyone to joke around.

Pat Riley, sporting a slicked-back hairstyle, sat courtside like a godfather, exuding an aura of authority. Many celebrities were present, including entertainment figures like Jazz and Rihanna, as well as NBA legends Alonzo Mourning, Chris Webber, and Scottie Pippen.

The Running Man family also came. Bronny still looked like a little kid. If you looked closely, Running Man's wife looked quite like Serena Williams. Jia Fei thought to himself that if Running Man had really married Serena Williams, their child would definitely have made it to the NBA if it were a boy. His talent was too strong.

Jia Fei remembered that in his previous life, Ray Allen had tied the game with a last-second shot, and the Heat defeated the Spurs in overtime.

The atmosphere at the American Airlines Arena was indeed electrifying. The Heat and the Spurs are completely different teams. One team plays an offense with two stars who drive and dish, and their defense involves double-teaming the ball handler. The other team plays an offense that relies on player movement and ball movement, and the Spurs' traditional defensive system that limits the paint and three-point shots.

The intensity of the game was extremely high once it started; Jia Fei felt that this was the kind of intensity the Finals should have. Of course, their series against the Grizzlies was also quite intense, a brutal, hand-to-hand combat affair.

"Jia, who do you think will win?" Kemba Walker asked.

"Everyone has a chance!" Jia Fei said, which was basically just empty talk.

Watching the competition live, Jia Fei was itching to join in. He also wished there were more competitions to play in in June, but the reality was that they were already on vacation and fishing.

There's not much to say about the match itself; Jia Fei and his friends went to a bar after watching the game, so we won't go into that.

The next day, Jia Fei received an email from his agent, Jeff Schwartz. Before he checked the email, Jeff Schwartz had called to remind him to check it.

Jia Fei opened the email and knew it contained preliminary offers from teams interested in him.

Upon closer inspection, it was found that quite a few teams were interested in him, including the Thunder, Raptors, Hawks, Kings, Pistons, Grizzlies, Rockets, Hornets, Wizards, Suns, Mavericks, and Clippers.

Teams not on this list don't necessarily lack interest in him; it's more likely they lack salary cap space. He's a free agent, and signing him would require sufficient salary cap space, preventing them from making any moves beyond the salary cap.

The Thunder's contract remains the same, clearly indicating the owner doesn't want to pay the luxury tax. From what he's heard these past few days, they also don't plan to re-sign Kevin Martin. Given Martin's current market value, he'd definitely be worth more than the mid-level exception. Even without re-signing Jia Fei, the team would still have to pay a significant amount in luxury tax.

If the Thunder don't re-sign Kevin Martin, it means that the only valuable assets they got in return for Harden are Lamb and a first-round pick, which is practically a freebie.

In fact, if the Thunder's owner were willing to spend the money, they could theoretically have kept both Jafi and Kevin Martin. However, it's clear the team chose to let Kevin Martin go, offering Jafi only a minimum-salary contract.

It's obvious that Jia Fei is unlikely to sign such a contract. He's not stupid. Why would he give up a lot of money outside and choose this long-term contract with a low base salary? He must be out of his mind to do that!