Afternoon.
Suns training facility.
Steve Nash, Richardson, Goran Dragić, and the others were going through their usual practice routine.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Dragić knocked down a corner three. Nash buried an open three of his own. Richardson drove hard to the rim and finished with a reverse dunk, showing off his bounce.
"Wow, everyone's here early today!"
Carter's bright, booming voice rang out as he greeted the group. Just as he was about to head to the locker room to change, another figure walked in through the door, making him pause in surprise.
"Rich Paul? Isn't that LeBron James' agent? What's he doing at our facility?"
Steve Nash walked over and said calmly, "He's probably here to see Blake Su."
"Why?"
Carter looked confused.
Dragić pointed toward the lounge on the side and laughed. "Because before Rich Paul showed up, Bill Duffy and Jeff Austin were already here looking for him."
"Heh!"
Carter immediately got it. "Blake Su really became famous overnight. He's already being targeted by a bunch of agents."
"Yeah,"
Dragić said with a hint of envy. "A center with All-Star-level guard athleticism and a deadly mid-range game? Of course he's in demand."
Indeed.
Just as Dragić said, before Carter arrived, Bill Duffy and Jeff Austin had already come looking for Blake Su.
Bill Duffy was the first to arrive. After a short conversation with Blake Su, he left. Shortly after that, Jeff Austin came in and was currently talking with Blake Su in the lounge.
Rich Paul entered the facility, looked around for a moment, then spotted Nash and smiled.
"Steve, do you know where Blake Su is right now?"
"He's over there, but you might have to wait a bit,"
Nash said, casually pointing toward the lounge.
"Thanks."
Rich Paul thanked him and headed straight for the lounge—the room where Blake Su was meeting with agents.
After Rich Paul walked away, Carter chuckled. "Not bad. All three of those agents are solid, especially Rich Paul. He's one of the biggest names in the NBA.
For Blake Su to catch all of their attention at once—that's some luck."
"True,"
Nash nodded, then added, "But that luck comes from his ability."
...
Inside the lounge.
Austin got straight to the point. "Blake Su, I want to be your agent and help maximize your value. I'm confident I can do that.
Right now, I don't represent many star players—Stephen Curry on the Warriors is one of them. Precisely because of that, I can devote more time and energy to you.
I hope you'll consider trusting me."
"Alright,"
Blake Su said with a smile and a nod. "Please give me some time to think it over."
"No problem."
Austin left his contact information and exited the room.
Bill Duffy represented Mike Conley and would later go on to represent players like Wiggins, LaVine, and Gordon—though Blake Su wasn't aware of that yet, and felt mostly indifferent toward him.
As for Austin, Blake Su wasn't deeply familiar with him either, but he did know that the future "Splash Brother" Curry and the "Greek Freak" Giannis Antetokounmpo were both under Austin's management. That gave him a favorable impression.
"Choose Austin?"
Blake Su hesitated.
"Knock, knock."
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Rich Paul walked in. Blake Su immediately recognized the well-known agent.
"Mr. Blake Su, hello. I'm an agent—my name is Rich Paul."
"Hello, Mr. Rich Paul."
After a brief exchange of greetings, Rich Paul got straight to the point.
"Mr. Blake Su, the talent and ability you showed against the Wizards were outstanding.
I believe that if we work together, it would be a win-win situation.
I don't know how much you know about me, but this is something that might help earn your trust—
LeBron James, Chris Paul, and this year's No. 1 pick, John Wall, are all clients of mine.
They're all thriving in the league right now.
"And I have more than enough resources to make sure a player with your level of talent earns what he deserves.
So—are you interested?"
Blake Su fell silent in thought.
It was true.
Working with an agent who had greater influence and resources could mean more opportunities and fewer detours. Still, Blake Su didn't answer right away.
After all,
he already had three options today—and possibly more. He needed time to think calmly.
"Mr. Rich Paul, could you give me some time to consider?"
"Of course."
Rich Paul wasn't surprised by the response. If anything, he saw Blake Su as thoughtful, cautious, and far more mature than the average rookie.
"This is my contact information. I'll check back with you in a few days."
With that, Rich Paul handed over his business card. After Blake Su accepted it, he turned and left.
"Who should I choose?"
Blake Su looked at the three business cards in his hand. After a brief moment, he put them away and decided to set the issue aside for now.
For the moment, his focus was on tonight's game against the Hornets.
In the basketball world, strength was everything.
Blake Su understood that clearly. Only by putting up eye-catching numbers and showing overwhelming ability would he earn more—and better—choices.
...
8:00 PM.
Ford Center Arena.
The Thunder hosted the Heat as the battle officially ignited.
The Thunder won the opening tip. Durant held the ball at the top of the arc, immediately matching up against LeBron on the first possession—a clash between the two teams' biggest stars.
The tension was instant.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Facing LeBron, Durant's competitive fire flared. He pulled out his signature big double crossover, then stopped and faded for a mid-range jumper as LeBron contested.
Durant still let it fly.
"Swish!"
The ball dropped cleanly through the net.
"Boom!"
Hitting that shot right over LeBron sent the arena into a roar. But on the very next possession, LeBron answered back, powering straight through Durant and finishing at the rim.
An explosive start.
The back-and-forth immediately electrified the crowd.
Not to be outdone, Russell Westbrook—one of the Thunder's "Big Three"—used his explosive, relentless athleticism to blow past the defense and score at the rim.
"Swish!"
Dwyane Wade answered with a post-up turnaround jumper.
Harden, who checked in early off the bench, drilled a step-back three.
Then Bosh Spice caught a pass from LeBron in the left corner and calmly knocked down a three of his own.
"Wow! Is this what a superstar shootout looks like?"
"Incredible—this is amazing!"
"Thunder 'Big Three' versus Heat 'Big Three'—elite offense, elite intensity. The game is at a boiling point from the opening minutes!"
"Let's go, Thunder!"
"Thunder, crush the Heat's Big Three! Show them that even a superteam can't win against real strength!"
"Let's go, Heat! Show the whole league we're coming for the championship!"
"..."
The arena atmosphere was electric as the Thunder–Heat showdown raged on.
Halftime.
Thunder (71) : (71) Heat.
Both teams combined for 140 points in the first half, trading blows in a high-speed shootout that pushed the arena's energy to its peak. With the score deadlocked, anticipation for the second half only grew stronger.
Meanwhile.
American Airlines Center.
The Suns vs. Hornets game was about to tip off.