NBA: Warrior godfather.

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Mark Baum stared at Liam for a long time before finally turning his head to look forward.

"You'd better remember what you said. Money doesn't come from nowhere. I don't want to see you go bankrupt one day and come asking for my help."

The car drove steadily for a few minutes before Mark Baum spoke again.

"Liam, if I hadn't met you, I would have gone bankrupt because of those mortgage-backed securities. I will always remember this favor. If you ever need help, just let me know... even though the Warriors and Pacers are rivals."

"You helped me buy the Warriors. Consider that favor returned," Liam said.

"I just helped you look the part, that's far from enough."

"Then why are you still here? You don't know anything about basketball."

"Oh, did you forget who introduced you to Larry Bird? I don't just watch the Pacers play. I've got boxes reserved in plenty of arenas, and many team executives trust me to manage their assets," Mark Baum sneered.

"I didn't realize you were such a savvy businessman," Liam said in surprise.

"Of course. I'm a businessman. I seize every opportunity to grow my clientele. Otherwise, do you think I could just meet Larry Bird whenever I want? He's got five million dollars invested in my fund. And it's not just him—between all the managers and athletes I've met, both current and retired players, I've got over $200 million of their money in my fund," Mark Baum said proudly.

"Mark, you've got to help me," Liam said seriously.

"Who said I don't know anything about basketball?" Markbaum scoffed.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong. Please forgive me," Liam immediately apologized three times.

"Where is your moral integrity..." Mark Baum was speechless for a moment before asking, "Alright, what do you need help with?"

"I don't have a specific target yet, but the Warriors are definitely going to be involved in some trades this offseason. I'm new, and I don't have the right connections in the league yet, so I could really use your help," Liam explained.

The NBA is a business, but even more than that, it's a league built on personal relationships. Deals aren't just about matching talent for draft picks. While the value of players is important, having the right connections is crucial.

For example, when Danny Ainge was the general manager of the Suns, the Celtics seemed to constantly take advantage of them in trades.

In another case from Liam's previous life, Anthony Davis changed agents in 2018 to Rich Paul, who also represents LeBron James. The next summer, Davis requested a trade to the Lakers and made it clear that he wouldn't re-sign anywhere else. At the time, Davis had only a year left on his contract, and with him already picking his next team, no other franchise was willing to risk trading for him. The Lakers eventually got Davis in a trade, sending Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and a draft pick, and they won the championship that season. Rich Paul played a crucial role in facilitating that deal.

Liam hoped that Mark Baum could help create similar opportunities for the Warriors.

"So, I'm your broker now?" Mark Baum asked, annoyed.

"Don't forget, you're also a part-owner of the Warriors. The better the team does, the better your returns will be."

"Fine, you win."

After twenty minutes of driving, the Bentley arrived at a mansion in the Glenview neighborhood. The two men got out of the car and entered the house.

Glenview is one of the top three upscale communities in Oakland. It has a beautiful environment, convenient transportation, good security, and all the necessary amenities. Many of Silicon Valley's wealthiest residents live here.

When Mark Baum was heavily invested in mortgage-backed securities, he had been optimistic about the real estate market and bought multiple properties in high-end communities across the country. This mansion was one of those investments.

As soon as Mark Baum walked in, he took off his suit jacket and collapsed onto the sofa.

He always maintained a sharp, professional image in public—always wearing a suit and standing with perfect posture. His wardrobe was filled almost entirely with suits.

"Mark, it doesn't look like you've been doing much," Liam teased.

"You have no idea. It's exhausting keeping up this perfect image," Mark Baum rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, Mark's phone rang. He answered it casually.

"Hello? Brian, what's going on? Okay, got it. I'll handle it when I get back. Just stabilize things for now."

After hanging up, he turned to Liam.

"Liam, something's come up. I have to head back to Indiana. I'll talk to Charlie and have them take care of things the way you want."

Charlie was Mark's lawyer, one of the key people who had accompanied them to San Francisco for the negotiations.

"What's wrong? Do you need my help?" Liam asked with concern.

"It's just a minor issue... Tina! Bring me a dark gray suit!"

Mark waved Liam off, looking for his suit, which had gotten wrinkled, and shouted toward the second floor.

"Right away, Mr. Baum," came a pleasant female voice from upstairs.

A moment later, a middle-aged woman in her forties came down with a dark gray suit and carefully helped Mark put it on.

Her name was Tina, and she was the housekeeper Mark had hired.

"In the garage, there's also a Porsche. The key is in there too. Feel free to drive it," Mark said, as he hurriedly left without even having lunch.

...

Three days later, Liam, Charlie, and the now-returned Mark Baum headed to the Oracle Arena together.

During the past few days, Charlie had led a team that negotiated with Chris Cohan's people, going over every detail of the acquisition deal and drafting a final contract. The main terms were simple—Liam would pay $500 million in cash for full ownership of the Warriors.

Since it was contract-signing day, the financial analysts and accountants were not present. They were temporary hires from Catherine Company, and after their job was done, they had already returned to Indiana.

For the past three years, Liam had been fully focused on the Bulldogs and had neglected his other ventures. Mark Baum had stepped in to manage things for him in his absence.

But Liam had recently contacted a recruitment agency to hire staff for both Dream Investment Company and Catherine Company.

When the three arrived at the conference room, Chris Cohan and his lawyer were already waiting for them.

Charlie stepped forward to do one last check of the contract.

It took him half an hour to go over every detail, reading the document word for word. After finishing, he nodded toward Mark Baum.

"Mr. Baum, everything's in order."

Mark Baum picked up a pen and signed his name on all three copies of the contract, as did Chris Cohan.

Mark Baum was the legal representative of Catherine Company, so while Liam technically owned the majority of the shares, Mark still had to sign on his behalf.

After the signing was complete, Chris Cohan shook hands with both men, then smiled at Liam.

"Congratulations, Mr. Gonzalez. You're now the new owner of the Warriors!"

End of this chapter

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