Bird also carried out an important task, which was to use the collective bargaining agreement to renew the contracts of three young players early—Kobe, Little O'Neal, and Ben Wallace—to ensure the long-term development of the Trail Blazers.
Among them, Bird gave Kobe a five-year contract, intending to lock in this potential star for a longer period at a relatively low price before Kobe had fully proven his worth.
Little O'Neal and Ben Wallace also received four-year contracts, ensuring that by the 2003 season, the Trail Blazers would have a relatively stable core lineup to usher in the post-Gan era.
Of course, Bird didn't know whether Gan would retire by the 2003 season, but if he didn't, the NBA might as well belong to the Portland people for many years to come.
This worried Bird a bit. While he wasn't concerned about Gan's health nor doubted his own judgment, he was worried about whether the League would allow a team like the Trail Blazers to grow so big?
