"You mean, your father asked you to join my team?" Jake looked at Ajiali, who stood in front of him in a sharp business suit. His eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes! I played on the basketball team in high school, and I've always loved the game. Now that my family owns a team, I want to learn about team operations. My father said you'd be a great teacher, so he sent me to you."
"Wait a minute," Jake muttered, immediately making a phone call to confirm the situation. After receiving a positive answer, he sat back in his office chair, clearly uncomfortable. He asked, stammering, "Uh... what do you want to do here, exactly?"
"Please don't call me 'young lady,'" Ajiali said, frowning slightly. "I'm Ajiali Ranadivé, and I'm here as your employee. I'll do whatever you ask me to do!"
"Stop, stop!" Jake quickly interrupted her. "The team already has a deputy manager and an assistant manager. For now, how about you work as an ordinary assistant?"
"Of course!" Ajiali's expression brightened instantly. "As long as I can learn something, I'm happy to do anything!"
At that moment, Peja walked in. "Boss, the meeting time is coming up. When are we leaving? Hey, Miss, what are you doing here?"
As Jake and Peja headed out, Ajiali followed closely behind with a large handbag.
"Why is she working here?" Peja whispered to Jake. "What's going on?"
"How should I know? The boss hired her, what could I say?" Jake replied, equally confused. "I didn't know what job to give her, so I just made something up. Maybe I'll send her over to you to be your assistant?"
"No thanks!" Peja shook his head. "I'm your assistant. If she becomes my assistant, it'll be like a weird British civil service hierarchy!"
Jake thought for a moment and agreed. "Yeah, that does feel a bit odd. Let's just take her with us for now. She might be useful in the league with her connections."
The two of them arrived at a downtown café, where a middle-aged man in a light blue suit, with a friendly demeanor, stood to greet them as they entered.
"Please, sit down," Jake gestured, inviting the man to take a seat. "Thanks for coming all the way here. It must have been a long trip."
As Jake chatted with the man, Peja and Ajiali quietly took their seats. Ajiali leaned over to Peja and whispered, "Who is this?"
Peja hesitated but then explained, "Mike Schmitz. He's an NBA draft analyst from Yahoo Sports, and we're looking to bring him on as a professional scout."
"Are we hiring new scouts?"
"Yes," Peja nodded. "A few of our scouts' contracts expired this year, and Jake wasn't satisfied with their work. We're rebuilding the team this summer."
As Peja and Ajiali whispered, Jake's conversation with Schmitz became more serious.
"I've reviewed your resume, and it's impressive. But I have one question—you're doing well at Yahoo. Why would you want to join us? I assume the pay and workload are more comfortable over there," Jake said.
Schmitz leaned in and replied confidently, "I don't want to be an analyst forever. My goal is to get into team management. Joining your team aligns with my long-term career prospects."
Jake knew of Schmitz's reputation. In the original timeline, Schmitz had moved from Yahoo to ESPN in 2017 as a draft analyst and later joined the Trail Blazers as an assistant general manager in 2022. He had been the first to predict the success of Luka Doncic, urging the Kings to draft him with the second pick. Unfortunately, the Kings passed on Doncic and selected Marvin Bagley instead.
"Alright, I have no further questions. Peja, Ajiali, do you have anything to add?" Jake asked, turning to them.
Peja thought for a moment and asked, "What's your take on this year's draft class?"
Schmitz paused briefly, then responded, "The top pick will likely be between Towns and Okafor. But in my view, Towns is the clear choice, and Okafor could be a potential bust."
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Jake asked, intrigued.
"I've been following Okafor's games closely. His offensive game is one-dimensional, and it doesn't fit the direction the league is heading. People are banking on his defensive potential, but I think that's an illusion. Most importantly, his overall play style is outdated, more suited to the pre-2007 era. Without major adjustments, Okafor will struggle in today's league."
Jake and Peja exchanged approving glances, impressed with Schmitz's analysis.
"Okay, Mike," Jake said, standing up. "Don't rush to leave town today. Enjoy Sacramento for a bit, and we'll email you by 8 PM with our decision."
After Schmitz left, Peja asked as he drove, "What do you think of Schmitz?"
"He's good," Jake replied, looking up from his documents in the backseat. "He has strong opinions about rookies, and he's not blindly chasing potential. When we get back, draft a contract and have him sign it tonight."
"And Peja," Jake added, "get in touch with Del. If he's already in town, have someone pick him up. I'll treat him to lunch. I need to ask him about a few work things."
"Del?" Ajiali perked up, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.
"Del Harris," Peja answered, eyes still on the road. "The legendary 'Silver Fox' Harris."