Howard's reputation wasn't tarnished by just standing under the eaves; he had become the most sought-after player in the free market.
As the leading center in the Eastern Conference, Howard's demands for his new team were simple.
First, they had to make him happy, and second, they needed a point guard who could pass him the ball and take control of the game during critical moments.
Upon hearing Howard's demands, Paul couldn't help thinking, "He's practically talking about me!"
Under the new labor agreement, teams were very cautious about signing players.
No one wanted to trigger the luxury tax with reckless moves.
Except for one team.
The New Jersey Nets.
To be precise, it was the owner of the Brooklyn Nets, Mikhail Prokhorov from Russia, a gold supplier, who completely disregarded the luxury tax as if it were nothing.
Prokhorov's current net worth was 15 billion US dollars, which made him one of the tycoons even among the wealthy NBA owners.
