Chapter 25 Draft and Trade Rumors

The first pick of the second round belonged to the Hornets, acquired in a previous trade with the 76ers.

The Hornets ultimately selected Frank Mason, a short point guard at 1.83 meters.

Anyone paying attention to the Hornets' picks this year would notice they were all point guards.

They chose Frank Ntilikina from France with the 8th pick, and now they've selected another one at 31.

With Walker's contract expiring in the offseason, this choice was quite intriguing.

After the Hornets' selection, the other teams' picks weren't too surprising.

Until the 40th pick.

When Tatum's assistant announced the pick, he also announced a new trade.

The Pelicans sent the 60th pick and Bryn Forbes to the Jazz for the 40th pick.

Because it was the Pelicans' pick, the fans in the audience, and some of the distracted draft teams, refocused their attention on the stage.

The Pelicans' drafting over the past few years had been textbook, with rookies shining, even performing at a superstar level almost every year.

One year is luck, two years is good fortune, and after three years, other teams' management would naturally pay attention and learn.

Two minutes later, Tatum's assistant walked to the front of the stage again and announced the Pelicans' pick.

His choice was direct and decisive.

"With the 40th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans select Thomas Bryant, a 2.08-meter center from Indiana University."

The Pelicans' choice was quite surprising.

Bryant's performance in college was only average, averaging 12.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 28.1 minutes per game.

Indiana University's performance in this year's NCAA was also mediocre.

Moreover, as an interior player, his height of only 2.08 meters was a significant disadvantage.

In fact, among the players Tang Tian mentioned, Stevens favored Dillon Brooks, while Demps leaned towards Hartenstein.

However, in the end, they chose to trust Tang Tian as they always had.

The reason Tang Tian chose Bryant was simple: he was a 3D player.

What the NBA lacks most isn't three-point shooters or superstars, but 3D players.

Someone had calculated that among the league's 30 teams, there were fewer than 10 truly capable and impactful 3D players.

Scarcity increases value, so when Demps said he had traded up to 40th, Tang Tian didn't hesitate.

Not to mention, Bryant played inside, a versatile four-five who could defend and score, making him even more valuable.

Although his other abilities were lacking, with some development, he had the potential to be a rotation player.

After the Pelicans made their pick, team management began to research what made Bryant different, and social media lit up with fan discussions.

"109 kilograms, 2.08 meters tall, 2.28-meter wingspan! Excellent offensive rebounding, raw post skills, named to the All-Big Ten Third Team, 38.3% three-point percentage in college! 19 years old! Everything you want is here!"

"I feel like the Pelicans have drafted another superstar rookie, that wingspan plus the ability to shoot threes, there aren't many like that in the league!"

"The Pelicans' drafting has been insane these past few years, they always find gems, it just shows how blind the other 29 teams are!"

"Popovich: I'll allow you to rephrase that."

"(ಥ_ಥ)"

"Haha, but did you guys notice something? This rookie is named Bryant! I remember Tang also had the nickname Tang 'Bryant'."

"A double-Kobe lineup, are you scared?"

"Excellent, a three-peat dynasty is secured!"

…

Amidst the heated discussions of fans, the 2017 NBA Draft came to a close.

Fultz, Ball, Tatum, and other popular rookies attracted attention, and Thomas Bryant also garnered considerable attention because of his name and the fact that he was selected by the Pelicans.

With the draft over, the free agency market for the new season would officially open in a week.

This week was the most difficult for everyone.

According to the rules, teams couldn't contact free agents before the free agency market opened, so all the management could do was try to reach out to the people they wanted in every possible way.

Like they had done before, having private dinners, making phone calls, and so on.

Accompanying these were all sorts of rumors, both real and fabricated.

According to a close friend of Paul, Paul was about to opt out of his contract, and he and the Spurs were mutually interested, the Spurs were working hard to clear their salary cap space, and Aldridge was being put on the market;

According to a reporter, he learned from a close friend of Griffin that after the Clippers declined, Griffin had an extremely strong desire to return to his hometown team, the Thunder, and the Thunder were actively working to create salary cap space;

According to Woj, Hayward and the Jazz had reached a disagreement on the amount of the contract extension, the former hoped to get a 5-year max contract, while the Jazz management was hesitant, and he was now in frequent contact with Boston and Miami;

According to sources within the Bucks, Antetokounmpo was in close contact with an All-Star player from the East, and the two had a very strong desire to play together;

According to people close to Jordan, Jordan had great doubts about whether to offer Walker a max contract extension, he didn't think Walker could become a franchise player;

…

The rumors were a mix of truth and fiction, all kinds of them, flying everywhere before the free agency market opened.

This was when the fans cried, not knowing what to believe, it was quite agonizing.

Moreover, this kind of day wasn't just one or two, it was a week, and there wouldn't be any definite news until the free agency market officially opened.

Especially for fans far across the ocean, because of the time difference, staying up late to wait for news was the norm.

Many fans even shouted on the forums that they had been hospitalized because they stayed up late waiting for news, and they needed a nurse to tuck them into bed.

Everything was seething beneath the surface.

But in this undercurrent, George, who had previously attracted the most attention, had disappeared from the news.

Because George had previously specified the Pelicans, the Pelicans fans were still waiting!

The fans wouldn't think so much, Ariza for George, upgrading their arsenal, they could laugh themselves awake in their dreams.

Time flew by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, there was only one day left until the opening of the 2017 free agency market.

Tang Tian and Olsen also temporarily ended their Caribbean vacation and returned to New Orleans.

On the day he returned to New Orleans, Tang Tian received a call from someone.

"Tang, I'm ready to leave Cleveland."

The person calling was Irving.

Of the five "bitter training brothers," Tang Tian was the eldest, and their relationship was very close.

Irving made this decision, and the first person he wanted to discuss it with was Tang Tian.

Tang Tian wasn't too surprised, after all, in his memory, Irving had also requested a trade this season.

Not to mention that the Cavaliers hadn't even won a championship yet, even worse than in his memory, so it wasn't surprising that Irving wanted to leave.

However, Irving's next words left him a little confused.

"I want to come to New Orleans."