Chapter 23

Pat Riley suddenly blurted out these words, which startled Yang Mo. Although he had vaguely sensed that Miami might choose him, hearing Riley's promise in person still shocked him.

"Come, follow me to the office, and we'll talk about it in detail." Riley patted Yang Mo's shoulder and led him to the office.

Yang Mo was still a bit dazed and subconsciously followed him into the office. After sitting down on the sofa, Riley casually took a bottle of energy drink from the fridge and handed it to Yang Mo, saying, "Yang, I can give you a promise now. You will definitely not be overlooked this year. We will select you at the right position."

"Right position? What position?" Yang Mo frowned when he heard this. He knew the huge difference between a second-round pick and a first-round pick. A second-round pick almost never signed a max contract after their rookie deal, and Arenas was a rare exception, leading to the creation of the Arenas Rule.

"We only have the second overall pick and the 21st pick." Riley said very seriously, "But for you, we will trade with other teams and buy a second-round pick with cash."

"So..." Yang Mo's tongue tied a bit, and he then said, "You plan to sign me with a second-round pick?"

"Yep." Riley nodded, feeling a bit surprised. He thought Yang Mo should be very excited and grateful, but why did he seem dissatisfied with the pick?

"Okay, thank you." Yang Mo politely nodded at Riley.

However, Riley could see the emotions behind Yang Mo's politeness. Riley, who had been in the league for many years, knew Yang Mo's level. If Yang Mo tried out with other teams, other general managers would definitely be interested in him, given his outstanding abilities. Some teams might even take a risk and use a first-round pick to select him because of the Chinese market behind him.

If things developed to that point, it would be disastrous.

So, Riley subconsciously frowned, feeling the situation was very tricky. He didn't expect Yang Mo to be so difficult to handle. He originally thought that giving a commitment to an unknown young player would make him grateful and work hard for him. But Yang Mo's high aspirations made him not take the second-round pick seriously.

Yang Mo wasn't being arrogant; he just felt that he now had a safety net. He could try out with other teams, and if he got a better deal, he would naturally choose the better one.

However, Riley was unwilling to accept this situation. Yang Mo was a must-have rookie for him, and he couldn't bear to let such an excellent player slip away.

Riley weighed the pros and cons for a while and then offered Yang Mo a condition: "It's very difficult to get a first-round pick in the trade market now. All the managers in the league think this year is a strong draft. So, I might only trade for a second-round pick, but I can give you a verbal commitment. Once we select you, no matter what pick it is, we will give you a three-year contract worth five million dollars, and you can even have player options for the second and third years."

This was the best condition Riley could offer now, and he was taking a gamble. This contract was almost at the level of a first-round pick, and many first-round picks might not even get such a contract.

Yang Mo's heart trembled with excitement when he heard this. Five million dollars, that's nearly 35 million RMB.

Before this, Yang Mo never dared to think about it. He didn't even have the confidence to be selected. Now, not only was he promised to be selected, but a contract was also offered.

Yang Mo hesitated for a long time. This was a huge temptation for him. But he still decided not to jump to conclusions. After all, no one knew if the next basket might contain a golden egg, just like three days ago, he couldn't imagine Riley would personally promise him a five-million-dollar contract.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Riley. This will give me more confidence to face the future." Yang Mo tightly held Riley's hand, excitedly said.

Yang Mo was very excited, but he still didn't give a clear answer.

Riley was stunned, muttering to himself: Chinese people are really hard to handle. If it were a black player, they would have been in tears, shouting 'thank you very much' long ago.

"Yang, can you tell me what you really want? Do you want us to use the second overall pick to select you?" Riley was getting anxious and decided to lay it all out: "You are indeed an excellent player, and you're only 20 years old, with great potential. But... your height is too awkward for your position. We can't take such a big risk."

"No, no, no." Yang Mo quickly waved his hands, explaining, "I didn't mean that. I'm already very moved by your promise to sign me."

"Then why don't you give me a clear answer?"

"Isn't this something I can't decide?" Yang Mo shrugged, somewhat helplessly, "You know, I'm just a draft prospect. If a team selects me early, I can only sign with them."

Yang Mo's words were very clear: he was treating Miami as a backup. If a wealthy and powerful team offered him a better position and a better contract, he would go to them. If no one selected him early, then congratulations, you would succeed in the underdog role.

Riley didn't want to be a backup because he really wanted Yang Mo. So, he said excitedly, "As long as you don't try out with other teams, I guarantee no other team will select you."

"Um..." Riley's directness caught Yang Mo off guard.

Seeing Yang Mo's hesitation, Riley gritted his teeth and increased the offer: "I can add one million dollars to your contract. Additionally, I promise that if we have the opportunity to trade for a first-round pick, we will definitely select you. How about that?"

Riley showed his utmost sincerity. Yang Mo thought about it. He was alone, without an agent to negotiate for him. Even if he wanted to try out with other teams, they might not be interested. Moreover, a six-million-dollar contract was already very good, better than Yi Jianlian's first-round contract last year. So, he gritted his teeth and agreed, "Okay, I agree, but you must give me a written commitment."

"Um..." Riley immediately became hesitant when he heard about a written commitment.

Such under-the-table deals were not unheard of in the NBA, but if discovered, the penalties were severe. The Timberwolves were once penalized with five draft picks and cash for signing a pre-draft agreement with Smith, which prevented KG from winning a championship during his prime.

"Don't worry, I won't let a third person know." Yang Mo smiled, "It won't do me any good if it gets out. I just want a guarantee."

Yang Mo's words were very convincing, and Riley, unwilling to let such a talent slip away, took a deep breath, made up his mind, and walked to his desk. He quickly wrote a guarantee and signed it.

Yang Mo took the guarantee, read it, and saw that it promised to select him and give him a three-year contract worth six million dollars, with player options for the second and third years.

After confirming it was correct, a heavy stone in Yang Mo's heart finally fell. From now on, he was a part of the NBA. The thought of playing alongside Dwyane Wade in the future made him excited. At that moment, he really wanted to call Monkey: "Hey, Monkey, do you know? In the future, I'll be teammates with your idol, Dwyane Wade. Don't you want to come and flatter me?"

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[Please give some recommendations, thank you, Weirui Machi.]

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