Dempsey's reason for signing this contract might be simple.

Anyway, there weren't any other suitable players, and Ding Yanyuhang was a Chinese player, Tang Tian's teammate on the national team.

Signing anyone was the same, and it only cost $75,000.

Signing Ding Yanyuhang was like the Bucks signing Antetokounmpo's brother that Tang Tian knew about in his previous life, all to make the team's boss happy.

Moreover, Ding Yanyuhang's mental attributes were good. He was a player who could get a big contract in China, but gave it up to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA.

Although his talent was limited, he was hardworking enough to be the kind of player that people liked.

Moreover, Ding Yanyuhang was considered one of the more technically skilled Asian players and had the opportunity to grow into a bench player.

After his surprise, Tang Tian was indeed happy.

Ding Yanyuhang had played with him in the Rio Olympics, and Tang Tian had a very good impression of him.

Moreover, as early as two years ago, FIBA had confirmed that the second World Cup (previously called the World Championship, renamed in Spain in 2014) would be held in China.

Compared to Rio, the Chinese team's overall strength had improved significantly in the past two years.

Yi Jianlian was steady and solid, and now he was still firmly seated as the starting power forward for the Nets.

Guo Ailun had become the number one point guard in China and even Asia, and was entering his personal peak.

Zhou Qi had joined the Rockets a year earlier than in history. He had some bright performances last season, and with Cousins out for the new season, he had a good opportunity.

Now Ding Yanyuhang had signed a two-way contract with the Pelicans.

Wang Zhelin, Abudushalamu, Zhai Xiaochuan, Kelan Beike and other national team members had also performed well after returning to the CBA from Rio, becoming the core figures of their respective teams.

Plus Tang Tian's personal strength growth.

In 2019, the Chinese team might even have a chance to defeat the American team again.

Of course, that was all in the future, and Tang Tian was really happy to see Ding Yanyuhang now.

Dempsey saw Tang Tian's mood and felt a burst of joy in his heart.

This flattery was spot on.

The two two-way players, Caruso looked bald and old, but like Ding Yanyuhang, both of them had relatively introverted personalities.

But perhaps it was also because they were two-way players that they didn't have much say compared to the other players on the team.

To put it in a metaphor, buying lunch or donuts for the team was Bryant's job, and it wasn't their turn.

But perhaps precisely because of this, they worked harder than anyone else during training, which also made the atmosphere of the training camp even more enthusiastic.

After the first day of training, Tang Tian invited Ding Yanyuhang to his house for dinner.

It was always nice to meet a countryman in a foreign land, let alone a national teammate.

Ding Yanyuhang seemed a little restrained when he entered Tang Tian's manor.

This luxurious manor, comparable to Jordan's, was really the first time he had ever seen anything like it in his life.

The two of them had a lot to talk about during dinner, from their experiences in the Rio Olympics to Ding Yanyuhang's experiences in Dallas over the past year.

"Why didn't you stay in Dallas?"

Besides being surprised that Dempsey would sign Ding Yanyuhang, Tang Tian was also surprised because he had gotten a first-hand message from Woj.

The Mavericks were planning to sign Ding Yanyuhang to a non-guaranteed contract this year.

"You know, the people in Dallas..."

Ding Yanyuhang didn't finish his sentence, but Tang Tian already knew what he was going to say.

The racial discrimination problem in Dallas was a very important reason why he didn't choose the Mavericks back then.

He remembered the whistle that made him doubt his life when the men's basketball team played in the Summer League in his previous life. Even if some things weren't expressed overtly, they were still there subconsciously.

Not to mention in a place like Dallas.

After eating and resting for a while, Tang Tian took Ding Yanyuhang to his own gym for a while.

Having a gym meant he didn't have to run to a training hall, which was very convenient for Tang Tian.

Ding Yanyuhang was very excited and practiced so hard that he was sweating profusely without realizing it.

"It's really convenient to have a gym at home."

When they came out after practicing, Ding Yanyuhang couldn't help but say enviously.

"If you need to, you can stay here. I have a lot of guest rooms."

Tang Tian said.

"No, no, no."

Ding Yanyuhang's first reaction was very real. Politeness was a Chinese habit.

"I really have a lot of guest rooms."

"If you're worried about anything, you can pay me rent, just like living in an apartment outside. Of course, you can use the gym for free."

Tang Tian wasn't just being polite.

He really had a lot of guest rooms in his manor, and the babysitter would clean them even when no one was staying there, so it was a waste to leave them empty.

The same was true for the gym, which was maintained every day.

After spending more than 100 million to buy the house, these logistics were essential.

Of course, the main thing was that he knew it wouldn't be easy for Ding Yanyuhang to find a house here, especially when he first arrived.

Lin Shuhao sleeping on Parsons and Fields' sofa wasn't just a meme, but also a reality for low-level NBA players.

There were just too many people who could play basketball in the United States.

"Then I won't be polite."

Ding Yanyuhang didn't stand on ceremony anymore.

One thing that made him better than other players in the United States who were trying to make it to the NBA was that he had accumulated a lot of money in the CBA before, so he was relatively financially well-off.

So he didn't need to borrow a sofa from Tang Tian to sleep on like Lin Shuhao did.

"That's right!"

Tang Tian smiled and patted Ding Yanyuhang on the shoulder.

With Ding Yanyuhang living with him, they could go to the gym together when they played basketball, and having a companion would add more fun.

The Pelicans had finalized the two-way contracts, but they still had one last spot.

There were many options for this spot.

They could keep it to see how Caruso and Ding Yanyuhang performed, and if they played well, they could convert their contracts to standard ones.

They could also sign a few non-guaranteed contracts and let them play in the preseason to see if there would be any unexpected gains.

Of course, they could also not sign anyone and start the new season with a 14-man roster, which would maintain the flexibility of the roster.

After all, there was also a trade deadline and a buyout deadline later on.

Whatever choice they made, Dempsey still looked for Tang Tian.

They first wanted to see if there were any worthwhile candidates on the free agent market.

In fact, at this point in time, there was less than a month before the start of the new season, and less than half a month before the start of the preseason.

Free agents, anyone with any strength had already been signed.

Even many contracts that couldn't be signed had already found homes overseas.

The rest were basically players that no one wanted.

There were veterans whose strength and age had reached the point where they didn't want to retire, there were those whose strength was completely insufficient for the NBA's trust, there were also many problem players, and there were injured players...

For various reasons, these people were basically out of the NBA for the new season.

However, just as Dempsey gave the list to Tang Tian, and Tang Tian flipped through it, he unexpectedly found a very familiar name.