After Tellem understood Zhang Yang's attitude, he sighed in relief. He was really afraid that this young guy would suddenly change the previously agreed contract extension approach.
Although Zhang Yang is much more mature than his peers, who can be more mature than that number 21 in San Antonio? Still, he was swayed by Popovich and lost quite a bit.
Look at Kobe and Duncan's contract extensions, both with 7-year long deals: Kobe's max salary is 136 million, while Duncan's is a near-max 122 million over 7 years, averaging 2 million less per year, which is over a 10% salary gap.
At the time of the extension, Duncan had the upper hand in both honors and strength, as well as being very popular in the U.S., starting All-Star games year after year and having multiple endorsements.
In the evening, Zhang Yang stayed in front of the TV to watch the live broadcast of the first game of the finals.
On the 3rd, the East Final determined the winner.
