Chapter 154: Life Isn’t Always Fair.
He remembered that the Mavericks disbanded right after winning the championship.
One reason was the team's age; even if they kept the original roster, it would have been difficult to defend the title.
The other reason was related to salary issues.
Even though Cuban was willing to invest in the team, there were still limits to everything.
This was also tied to the lockout that year. When it ended, the new agreement introduced a new luxury tax system.
In simple terms, the old system fined teams by a set amount based on how much they exceeded the cap, but under the new rules, the fines increased progressively, nearly doubling in some cases.①
Oh, and he remembered another reason why Cuban didn't keep the roster together: he was eyeing the 2012 free-agent market, where both Dwight Howard and Deron Williams might become available.
So, was this Cuban making empty promises to the players before the new deal was finalized? Or was it just wishful thinking on the players' part?
Han Sen thought it was more likely the latter. Even if the new labor agreement hadn't been reached yet, an owner like Cuban would have had a pretty good idea of where things were headed.
After finishing his call with West, Grover showed up, and they quickly got to training.
By the time he was completely exhausted, Han Sen sat down on the sidelines to rest.