Chapter 1149 New Orleans Spurs
"I heard there was a problem with Toni's contract extension negotiations with Spurs."
In Tang Tian's manor, Dempsey looked sad.
Durant signed with the Lakers, and the decision was made after Walker and Butler both confirmed to join the new team. The Pelicans were deceived.
But the matter has come to this, and he can only choose to continue to make final repairs to the team's lineup.
After signing Jeff Green, the Pelicans just need to find another veteran point guard.
He's talking about Parker now.
Parker is not young, and his performance last season was not good, but he is the FMVP after all, and a skinny camel is bigger than a horse.
And he and Tang Tian are former teammates.
"Tony can still fight, and he will be a mentor to Alexander when he comes."
Tang Tian agreed with Dempsey's choice.
He knew that Parker still had a lot of gas in the tank when he went to play for the Hornets this season.
Dempsey got Tang Tian's consent and quickly got in touch with Parker.
Within two days, the two parties reached an agreement on a two-year, 12 million contract with a player option in the second year.
After Walker and Butler leave, the Pelicans will have a lot of space in the new season, and they will not be stingy in terms of signings.
After the signing was reached, Parker, who spent the first 17 years of his career with the Spurs, switched to the Pelicans in the 18th year.
According to some subsequent news, the person who made this happen was Popovich.
The old man hopes that Parker can play a mentor role at the end of his career, further reduce his playing time, and sign a contract with a minimum salary.
But Parker didn't want to do that.
This choice is not surprising.
As it happens, Popovich changed direction and gave the Pelicans an assist.
After signing Parker, the Pelicans' 15-man roster is full.
Point Guard: Brogdon, Alexander, Parker
Shooting Guards: Tang Tian, Ding Yanyuhang, Alonzo Trier
Small forward: Green, Jae Crowder, Kuzma, Jeff Green
Power forward: Davis, Siakam
Center: Dedmon, Harrell, Mitchell Robinson
On the back line, rookie Alexander is expected to get a lot of playing time.
Considering that neither Ding Yanyuhang nor Trier is very strong, Parker will most likely enter the regular rotation.
On the front line, as previously analyzed by fans, Green and Davis will be the starters, and Siakam will become the team's sixth man in the new season.
If the team plays one senior and four small players, he will be the starting power forward.
Crowder, Kuzma, and Jeff Green will compete for another rotation spot.
Inside, Harrell will get more playing time than last season.
Although the overall strength of this lineup has weakened a lot compared to last season, it is still impressive.
And what's very interesting is that, with Parker, Green, Tang Tian, and the recently retired Diaw, the Pelicans are now the New Orleans Spurs.
While the Pelicans and other teams were making minor repairs, the Lakers' deal finally came to fruition.
The Lakers did not find a third-party team to help them complete the Oladipo trade.
Strong teams don't want the Lakers to continue to get stronger, while weak teams cannot meet the Thunder's asking price for first-round picks and quality players.
The deal between the Lakers and Thunder ultimately fell apart.
In the end, the Lakers could only launch Plan Z and reach a deal with the Pacers.
Ballga received a 5.5 million trade exception in exchange for Middleton and a 2019 second-round pick.
Middleton averaged 22+5+5 per game with the Pacers last season, but the five-year contract he signed with the Bucks for 70 million in 2015 is only 13 million for the new season.
It's really good value for money.
But as fans know before, Middleton's contract has player options for next season, and this contract is actually only one year.
In terms of chips, the Lakers definitely lost money in this deal.
But the problem is that they have no choice.
Moreover, Middleton can shoot and play with the ball. If he can stay next year, the Lakers will definitely make a profit.
After completing Middleton's trade, the Lakers also made other signings.
1-year 10 million contract extension for Pope;
2-year, 10 million contract extension for Brook Lopez;
Signed Stephenson for 5 million in 1 year;
Renewed Frye's contract with a one-year minimum salary;
Signed McGee with a one-year minimum salary;
Signed Reggie Bullock with a one-year minimum salary;
Signed Caruso with a one-year minimum salary;
The Lakers lineup for the new season.
Starting: Simmons + Middleton + Durant + James + Lopez.
Substitutes: Caruso, Bullock, Stephenson, Pope, Hart, Frye, McGee, Zubac.
This lineup is definitely capable of challenging the Spurs and Pelicans.
However, some fans on social media questioned the compatibility of Simmons and James.
In James' many years of playing career, his teammates basically have to be able to shoot from the outside.
This issue was also thrown in front of the parties, Simmons and James.
The answers of the two people are also very interesting.
"There's only one way you can get the answer."
Simmons' answer is very sideways, but the meaning is easy to understand, that is, the answer will not be available until the regular season begins.
But such an answer is the same as no answer.
In contrast, James' answer has more reference significance.
"I can stretch the floor, me, Kevin, Brooke, Chriss, so that's not going to be a problem, and man, I'm going to help him with his shooting, I've got experience in that area."
Simmons is known as the second generation of James. Although his strength is not as strong as the young James, his playing style is really similar.
So James will be very affectionate when he sees Simmons, just like he did when he saw his younger self.
And like he said, his shooting has also gone from nothing to good, and he is very experienced in this area.
James' answer also gave Lakers fans a lot of confidence.
The Lakers not only own the present, they also own the future.
The pregnancy preparation was successful, the lineup was finalized, and the free market was almost over. Tang Tian kicked off his new offseason training camp with brothers in New Orleans.
Both Walker and Butler have recently settled their housing issues in their new cities and have come here one after another.
And this year Zhou Qi and Ding Yanyuhang are also here.
Zhou Qi was the one Tang Tian had promised him before, while Ding Yanyuhang was familiar with the job and was about to come after signing a formal contract with the Pelicans.
On the first day of the training camp, everyone was very enthusiastic about training.
The competition in the new season is not only for the fans, but also for the hard-working brothers.
Butler's Clippers have a chance to make the playoffs or even the top half.
Not to mention Walker, Ainge just traded Whiteside from the Cavaliers.
Coupled with Tatum, the Celtics will be very competitive in the Eastern Conference in the new season.
The same goes for Thompson. The Warriors were cheated by Durant. The five-star lineup changed to three stars and an unknown star. Many people looked down on the Warriors.
He will definitely help the Warriors clear their name in the new season.
The same situation also happens to Irving. The Bucks will dominate the Eastern Conference in the new season, and he must also perform better.
"Vince wants to come to our team."
Just after training ended that day, Demps came to the training hall and brought Tang Tian some new news.