Chapter 1 No Teams Want Walker

No team was willing to offer Walker a four-year max contract, but they were all very interested in signing him to a 1+1 deal.

Because the starting salary of a 1+1 contract was much lower than a long-term contract, these teams were offering with minimal risk.

They needed to fill the salary floor anyway, and adding Walker could sell tickets. If he played well and proved it wasn't just a contract year explosion, they could offer him a max long-term contract extension.

If he didn't play well, the worst-case scenario was only losing out on one year of the contract, and the contract itself wasn't that large.

That was the reality of the situation, and all Tang Tian could do was see which team offered the best opportunity.

Time flew by. While Walker was still considering his options, there was new progress in the trades involving George and Butler.

After failing to change George's mind about wanting to go to the Pelicans, the Pacers management had made it clear that they would not grant his wish.

At that moment, the Lakers management showed signs of compromise. The team's new owner, Jeanie Buss, became interested in the proposal to trade Simmons for George.

This greatly increased the probability of George joining the Lakers.

The sound of "Lakers championship" also calmed down the fans of other teams a bit.

Of the trio of small forwards wanting to go to the Pelicans, it was highly likely that one of them wouldn't be able to go.

And soon, another thing that made them happy happened.

According to Woj, the Rockets believed they were in the absolute lead in the Butler sweepstakes.

In addition to the Big Three, Gordon, Capela, Tucker, and Morris were all quality assets, giving them an absolute advantage.

The other teams, however, had their own issues. The Heat didn't have enough assets, and the Lakers management wasn't interested in Butler.

As for the Pelicans, Tang Tian and Butler were brothers, and the management would have been willing to do it.

But Tang Tian's neutral stance made the management hesitant. They worried that Butler's personality would affect the Pelicans' existing chemistry.

"Dawn is breaking, Rockets championship, this time it's for real!"

"Paul + Harden + Butler, this backcourt is the best in the league! If they can keep Tucker and Capela, the Rockets are completely on par with the Pelicans!"

"And I don't think that's a problem. Cousins tore his Achilles tendon, and his new contract next season will definitely be much smaller. The Rockets can also offer him a discounted extension. Then it will be a four-star Rockets! Championship for sure!"

"I think there's a good chance! The Pelicans must have been involved in the negotiations, and their team atmosphere will definitely be affected. With the rise and fall of each other, the Rockets really have a great opportunity!"

"Come on, come on! Let's do hometown basketball!"

…

George's situation validated what Tang Tian said: management would never allow a player to dictate his destination.

But Butler wasn't a free agent after all, and even if the list of teams he was interested in expanded, he wouldn't ultimately decide where he went.

The Mavericks management would definitely maximize his trade value.

Based on the current trend, he would likely be traded to the Rockets.

But that wasn't actually the team he wanted to go to.

As he had said when talking with Tang Tian, he either wanted to be the leader of a team, or he was only willing to play second fiddle to Tang Tian.

Going to the Rockets to be the third option after Paul and Harden was not something he liked to do.

But just like George couldn't go to the Pelicans, there was no turning back once the arrow had been released. At least for the next season, they wouldn't be able to decide.

While there was new progress in Butler's trade, there was also new news on Walker's side.

The Celtics had suddenly changed their minds.

After no team was willing to offer Walker a long-term contract, Ainge reacted quickly and offered Walker a four-year, $120 million contract, with a team option for the fourth year.

This was a slightly below-max contract with an option.

The Celtics hadn't had much success in this year's free agency market, and their next goal was to focus on developing Tatum, whom they had drafted.

At this time, signing Walker with an average salary of around $30 million was a good deal, and the contract was also very suitable.

If Walker performed well, they could play him for the full four years and then offer him an extension.

If he didn't play well, they could refuse to exercise the team option when the three years were up. Tatum would be almost fully developed by then, killing two birds with one stone.

Tang Tian didn't have a good feeling about Ainge, and his advice was for Walker not to sign such a passive contract.

But Walker personally preferred to accept it, because there wasn't a better contract on the free agency market.

This news was also quickly reported by Woj, and it was expected that Walker would likely reach an agreement with the Celtics before the "freeze period" ended.

At the same time, Demps also told Tang Tian a piece of news.

Tatum had privately communicated with him, and he personally hoped that the Pelicans would not do a sign-and-trade deal with the Jazz.

This communication was similar to what fans had predicted, and Tatum's nickname of "Stern's Shadow" was also confirmed.

He didn't want the league to have another super team whose strength surpassed that of other teams.

He had strongly opposed the Warriors team back then, but unfortunately, the commissioner at the time was Adam Silver.

The Pelicans' current lineup had already won two consecutive championships. If they added Hayward, then the other teams wouldn't have to play.

Because he knew that Tang Tian had a good relationship with Tatum, that was why Demps was looking for him.

"I think it's more appropriate to keep the existing lineup."

Tang Tian gave his opinion.

If Butler could come, he thought it would be fine.

Butler's defense was better than Ariza's, and his offense was also better. With him, locker room issues and integration wouldn't be a problem.

But Hayward's defense was worse than Ariza's, and his offense wasn't primarily off-ball. If he came, it was possible that the Pelicans' strength would increase, but it was also possible that it would weaken.

There was still a lot of uncertainty in this.

Moreover, a sign-and-trade meant that Hayward would have to sign at least a four-year max contract. Once Hayward didn't fit the team, then the team's future space would be completely locked up.

This was the first time Tang Tian had expressed his opinion on player acquisitions, and Demps fully accepted it.

The two sides were originally interested because of Stevens, but now that Tang Tian had expressed his opinion, then Tang Tian's opinion would definitely be the main one.

There were only two days left before the "freeze period" for free agency ended.

At this time, Demps expressed the team's attitude in front of the media.

"Our current lineup has great chemistry. We defeated the Rockets, Warriors, and Cavaliers consecutively last season and completed our title defense. We have no reason to break up the existing lineup, so we will not seek to make changes."

Demps' statement disappointed Pelicans fans, who had been waiting to see the team's lineup improve further.

But other fans were excited after hearing this, which meant they still had a very good chance.

Because of this, fans were constantly discussing it on social media.

But while they were discussing it, a fan revealed a big or small matter.

Adam Silver, his depression, was cured.