Just when Jake and the other two were having a small meeting, Coach Malone also came to the parking lot.
"What are you doing here? A lackey of the capitalists!" Divac glared fiercely at Malone. Originally, Divac had always thought Malone was on their side, but today at the meeting, Malone was the first to oppose Jake's idea. He didn't expect Mike Malone, a guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, to betray the team!
"No, no, no, Mike is one of us," Jake quickly grabbed the aggressive Divac. "I told Mike at the beginning, and he agreed with the trade of Cousins."
"What?!" Divac was stunned, then realized. "You two were just playing a double act in the conference room?!"
"What else!" Jake pulled Malone over, and the four of them huddled together to talk quietly. "Think about it. If both the coaching staff and the front office all agree to trade Cousins, our boss will surely agree too. But he will definitely make things difficult for us next season. You don't want everything to be constrained, do you?"
"No way. What good does it do the team if the boss acts like that?" Peja raised his confusion.
"You old white guys don't get it!" Jake's words left the three speechless. "My boss and I are both Asian, and I understand his mentality. He'd rather let the team sink further than allow us to kick him out of core management. He wants full control."
"This is terrible!" Divac said. "You Asians are really good at playing these power games. What should we do now?"
"Cousins must be traded! He's just made the All-Star team this year, so his value is sky-high!" Jake continued. "As for how to get the boss to agree, watch me. I'll give him an offer he can't refuse."
Late at night, in Ranadivé's luxurious villa, Ajiali carefully carried two cups of steaming traditional Indian milk tea into the reception room.
"Thank you." Jake took the milk tea but noticed the look of support in Ajiali's eyes.
"I know exactly what you're here for, and I won't agree! Trading Cousins is a terrible move!" Ranadivé sipped his tea and continued.
Jake stared at the steaming liquid in his hand. "Vivek, you know better than anyone. Not trading Cousins is what's truly digging your own grave!"
"What do you mean?" Ranadivé's anger flared again. "Bang!" He slammed his cup on the coffee table, startling Ajiali, who was eavesdropping outside. But Jake was unmoved.
"Vivek, you're one of the league's thirty team owners. Even I know that Adam Silver wants to reform the league. How can you not understand what that means?"
"Of course I know what it means, but that doesn't mean I'll dismantle a playoff team for it!" Ranadivé immediately retorted.
"It's not dismantling—it's transforming the team into a championship contender!" Jake raised his voice. "I know what's holding you back. You're afraid that without Cousins, there won't be another star to fill the void, and next season's revenue will drop."
"You're talking nonsense!" Ranadivé, clearly hit on his sore spot, was furious.
"Vivek, I can't work like this! You want everything without making sacrifices. How can I fulfill my promise to make this team a contender?" Jake's words had an underlying threat that Ranadivé didn't miss.
"You mean you'll quit if I don't agree? I know Golden State's been trying to recruit you, even saying they'd groom you as a successor!" Ranadivé sneered.
"I didn't say that!"
"But that's what you mean!" After the heated exchange, both men fell into a strange silence. Despite being upset with Jake, Ranadivé knew he couldn't let him leave. Jake had poured immense effort into the team, and letting him go would unsettle everyone. Plus, the media would dig into why he left, painting Ranadivé in an even worse light. Realizing this, Ranadivé softened his tone slightly.
"Why are you so insistent on trading DeMarcus? Isn't it enough to have him?"
"We must trade him!" Jake seized the opportunity. "DeMarcus is a big draw for weaker teams, but we're aiming for a championship. He needs to go. We need a true leader!"
"And about the financial side, don't worry. I'm confident next year's revenue will be even higher."
"Oh?" Ranadivé was intrigued. "What do you guarantee?"
"July!" Jake revealed his ace. "I've used my connections. Our team's broadcast revenue will increase by 50% next season."
"More importantly," Jake leaned in, "we have a huge Asian market. I can guarantee our financials will be stronger next year."
Ranadivé sat silently for a while before speaking. "Are you sure the resources you mentioned will be available?"
Jake, hiding his excitement, kept a sincere tone. "I guarantee it with my career."
Sure enough, Jake knew that appealing to dreams and glory wouldn't work with someone like Ranadivé. It took real, tangible benefits. He left the mansion in high spirits, but little did Jake know that as he departed, Ranadivé stood at the door with a sly grin.
"Dad, why are you smiling?" Ajiali asked as she joined him.
"I'm smiling because I underestimated Jake. I thought he'd be easy to control, but he's more cunning than the old foxes in the league. In just a short time, I'm already following his lead."
"Then why are you happy? Don't you hate it when your subordinates tell you what to do?"
"I hate stupid subordinates who take things for granted, but Jake—he's different. He's partner-level material." Ranadivé sat back down. "My dear daughter, you've always wanted to learn team operations, right? You can join the team soon. Jake will be a great teacher."