Where others obsessed over price, to him it was all about data.
The city's rental price to him for the entire property: $300,000 per year with no rent due the first year.
But observers worry that his accession has come at such a politically precarious time that he may favour higher prices, to give him cash to buy off dissent.
Since restrictive trade agreements, underpinned by legislation, could not keep Mr Laker out, they slashed their own prices to undercut him.
Chow, from Queens, bought the shirt last season, during the height of Linsanity, when the city pulsed and ticket prices to see him soared.
Unless you are one of the hoops-obsessed N.B.A. League Pass subscribers or willing to pay N.B.A. ticket prices to see him live, you may never have seen Irving play.
The Mets have no intention of releasing Henderson now, and because no other team was willing to pay the $20,000 waiver price to claim him and pay him the remainder of his $2 million salary this year, the Mets are essentially stuck with the contract.
"There's no price to pay him back," he said.
But they would be paying a potentially heavy price to acquire him.
He saw what was needed — an extra goal scorer, van Persie — and persuaded his club's American owners, the Glazer family, to pay Arsenal's price to get him.
