Jefferson's suspension didn't affect the Spurs, as the team defeated the Magic at home on the 14th, securing a 4-game winning streak.
In fact, Jefferson had struggled to integrate into the team since being traded to the Spurs. Instead, Tang Tian's entry into the starting lineup allowed them to play more freely.
Because it was a lockout season, the various time nodes of the season, like the All-Star Game before, were different from a normal season.
The trade deadline refers to the last day of trades in the season. After this day, teams cannot make trades until the day before the June draft.
Also, after the trade deadline, the league will calculate each team's total salary for the season based on their latest roster on this day.
Teams exceeding the luxury tax threshold will also begin to be taxed on this day.
In other words, it is only before this that a team's final roster is basically determined.
(Note: After the trade deadline, teams can still make layoffs and sign free agents to avoid sudden situations such as injuries.)
The trade deadline is the 16th Thursday after the start of each season. It used to be about a week after the All-Star Game, but this year's time node is March 16.
Various teams had already been showing undercurrents and constant rumors in the days leading up to the deadline.
The Clippers are weak at the small forward position, and they are working hard to trade for a backup small forward, including Nick Young of the Wizards, Brandon Rush of the Warriors, and others.
The Nuggets are interested in Kings' rising star DeMarcus Cousins, and general manager Ujiri said that he has prepared an offer that the other party cannot refuse.
The Rockets are interested in trading for a veteran inside player to prepare for a playoff push. General manager Morey said that the team will not repeat the same mistakes (the team finished ninth in the West last season), and this year's goal is the playoffs.
The Lakers are interested in the Timberwolves' forward Beasley. Beasley averaged nearly 20 points per game last season, but he has not been reused this season. The second overall pick is struggling in Minneapolis, and Kupchak intends to bring him into the team.
Dwight Howard strongly tends to exercise his contract option, and he will continue to stay in Orlando to play for the Magic for another year.
According to Woj's disclosure, the Lakers have put Pau Gasol on the shelves, the Spurs have put Richard Jefferson on the shelves, and the Wizards have put Nene on the shelves.
……
This year's trade deadline rumors are significantly more than in a normal season. Because of the reduced number of games in the lockout season, many teams are more restless than ever before.
"Trading is not this team's style."
That day, after the daily training ended, the teammates left one after another. Green and Tang Tian took the last shower, chatting while changing clothes.
Tang Tian nodded. The Spurs are the team with the fewest trades in the league.
In the past two years, they have only made two trades. One was to send veteran Ratliff to the Bobcats for a second-round pick, and the other was to use George Hill to trade for the 15th overall pick to select Leonard in last year's draft.
Compared to trading, signing and rookie development are their main means.
Players like Parker and Ginobili are rookies they selected themselves, and Green was also signed by the Spurs as a free agent after being cut by the Cavaliers.
This is a team culture, and it is also because with Duncan, this super cornerstone, the Spurs have been able to remain in the ranks of strong teams. Minor repairs and adjustments are enough to maintain sufficient competitiveness.
"Tang, do you think Richard will be traded?"
After chatting for a while, Green changed the subject.
Jefferson hasn't appeared in the locker room since being suspended indefinitely, and his locker has been cleared out.
"Yes."
Tang Tian gave a positive answer. In his previous life, he was not only a coach, but also a godfather. His words were somewhat similar to Popovich, and he also served as the team's general manager, so he had some experience in this area.
"So sure?"
Green had already changed his clothes at this time, and asked curiously while sitting on the stool.
"Richard is now a liability to the team. The team has such a good prospect this season, the management will definitely make a move at the trade deadline."
"But his trade value is very low."
There was no one else here, and Green didn't hold back.
"Even if it's low, it still exists. Richard is only 32 years old. There are players with lower value than him, and they are all useless. Maybe exchanging them will work.
Just like sockets and plugs, they may not match after a long time, but replacing one will allow them to continue to be used."
Green couldn't help laughing after hearing this. Tang Tian's analogy was too vivid. The principle was indeed like this. With Popovich's personality, he would indeed do that.
The Spurs didn't have a game that day, and the players went back to rest one after another after training.
Tang Tian took Procopio to the stadium for extra practice, and Leonard was also there.
Leonard accepted Tang Tian's suggestion and started to train himself with Kobe as a template. He was very hardworking, and he already had a bit of a prototype after half a month.
Tang Tian also went all the way and asked Procopio to give him some pointers on the details.
After the training, the two sat on the sidelines to rest.
Leonard sat there wiping his sweat, while Tang Tian took out his mobile phone and started browsing the news.
With less than 2 hours left until the trade deadline, many trades have been reached.
At this time, the biggest movement was the Trail Blazers. With Roy's season-ending injury, the Trail Blazers' record has declined significantly this season. After enduring half a season, the management decided to rebuild and began a fire sale.
They first reached a trade with the Rockets, sending away their starting center Marcus Camby, and getting "flop探花" Hasheem Thabeet and Jonny Flynn, as well as a second-round draft pick from the Timberwolves.
Then they sent their starting small forward, "猫王" Gerald Wallace, to the Nets, getting Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, and a protected first-round draft pick.
While completing these two major trades in succession, the management also announced the dismissal of "状元" Oden and head coach McMillan officially resigned.
This series of operations also announced the official end of the Trail Blazers' youth army 1.0 era, and "黄曼巴" also officially became a thing of the past.
Of course, the Blazers were not the only team making trades.
The Lakers left Gasol and sent Fisher to the Rockets, then traded with the Cavaliers in a four-man deal to get Sessions;
The Bucks sent out Bogut and "船长" Jackson, and traded for Monta Ellis from the Warriors;
The Clippers, Nuggets, and Wizards reached a trade. Nene returned to Denver, and the Clippers got their favorite small forward "单打王" Nick Young.
It was at this time that Tang Tian swiped to a piece of information, which was about the Spurs.
The Spurs and the Charlotte Bobcats reached a trade. They sent Richard Jefferson and a future first-round draft pick to the Bobcats for power forward Boris Diaw.