Chapter 1307 The new pattern of the alliance
Durant announced that he would join the Pelicans too fast, and the Lakers had no time to keep them.
Even in fact, after meeting Durant that night, Jenny Buss and Johnson felt they had a good chance to keep Durant.
But reality came too quickly and caught them off guard.
"Magic" Johnson even resigned from his position as general manager of the Lakers as soon as possible after learning the news.
Lakers fans are very strict, just like their attitude towards Durant.
Johnson formed the lineup of Jandou but failed to win the championship. He was questioned about the configuration of role players.
Especially when it comes to Simmons, they thought Simmons was incompatible as early as when the Jamdu combination, but Johnson kept it.
Now that a season has finished playing, Simmons' trading value has plummeted, and Johnson has suffered even greater doubts.
Greater Lopez went away from Milwaukee, Durant ran away from New Orleans, and Johnson resigned.
The Lakers, which finally rose, are about to collapse again.
Just as Lakers fans said "What should we do" on social media, the Lakers seem to usher in darkness again.
Some fans even called on Kobe to take over the position of general manager of the team, hoping that the Black Mamba could bring a miracle to the Lakers.
In the midst of the crisis, the Lakers management responded quickly and appointed the league's well-known agent Robert Pelinka as the new general manager.
And they held a press conference the next day. In addition to Jenny Bass, the celebrity Kobe and his wife Vanessa also came to support the conference.
Pelinka also said at the press conference that she would help the Lakers overcome the difficulties ahead.
He did, indeed.
Over the next two days, Pelinka showed his personal abilities.
He first reached a four-year, 120 million contract extension with Middleton.
This contract looks big, but when Harris needs to renew his contract with a maximum salary, Middleton is relatively no longer considered a premium.
And this is not the end. He then signed Randall and Horford with a contract of 2 years, 50 million and 4 years, 100 million respectively.
The Lakers spent nearly 300 million in an instant.
But after these operations, their lineup became Simmons + Middleton + James + Randle + Horford.
This lineup is still very competitive in the West next season.
Moreover, such a lineup can allow James to return to the third position, which is undoubtedly good news for James, who is already 36 years old.
Just as the Lakers completed these signings one after another, other free agents in the league also had the latest news.
Bledsoe joined the Jazz 85 million in four years.
Bledsoe performed well with the Wizards last season, averaging 17.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game.
The Jazz finally found a suitable backcourt partner for Mitchell, which also means they will not leave last season's point guard Rubio.
Rubio joined the Suns for 51 million in three years.
Whether it is Payton Jr. or Daniel Smith, they have been proven not to be qualified point guards, and the Suns' talent has never been realized.
After leaving Porzingis with a large contract, the newly appointed general manager of the team James Jones finally brought the team a reliable backcourt commander.
The Suns in the new season will be a team that the West cannot be underestimated.
The Trail Blazers signed Whiteside for 20 million in 2 years, of which the second year was the team option.
The Kings signed Dedmond 36 million in three years.
At this moment, two consecutive messages that woj once again attracted the attention of all fans.
The Thunder sent Oladipo to the Pacers, getting the Pacers' 2025 draft pick, as well as young players such as Gatley Allen.
After seeing Oladipo away, they immediately reached an agreement with the Rockets.
The Rockets are sending out Chris Paul, the first round picks in 2024 and 2026, plus the first round pick swap rights in 2021 and 2025, and Westbrook is coming from the Thunder trade!
According to WOJ follow-up report, the Thunder fully considered Westbrook's personal wishes in this deal.
The Thunder will consider trading Paul again, or staying with the team to coach young rookies.
This deal, like Durant's previous joining the Pelicans, once again put social media in chaos.
After Tang Tian retired, the former Thunder Third Young Master became a new force.
Moreover, the situation in the West is already in chaos like social media.
The Spurs still have Leonard, George and Aldridge;
The Pelicans who signed Durant, Davis and Gasol;
Signing Horford and Randall to form the Lakers that Simmons, Middleton, James, Randall and Horford;
The trade was given to Westbrook, the Rockets who formed the Vadern combination;
After renewing the contract with Harris, the Mavericks, whose combat effectiveness has not diminished at all compared to last season;
The Warriors are led by the Splash Brothers;
The Suns, who signed Rubio, had a lot of talents such as Jaylen Brown, Porzingis, Ayton, etc., and finally wanted to make great fuss;
The Kings who signed Dedmont and almost entered the playoffs last season with performances such as Hilder, Fox, Barnes, etc.;
Jokic, who is the leader and personally drives the system, is the Nuggets who almost made the playoffs last season;
With double guns, signing Whiteside's Trail Blazers;
With Jimmy Butler, Doncic, the fifth-ranked Clippers in the Western Conference last season;
Signing Bledsoe, plus the Jazz teams that originally Mitchell and Gobert;
The 15 teams in the Western Conference, except for the Thunder, the Grizzlies confirmed that they were bad, and the Timberwolves were really bad.
There are 12 teams, almost every team has enough reason and strength to enter the playoffs in the new season!
If Tang Tian was competing between several super teams before retirement, then the new season will be a real competition among the heroes.
Just as Tang Tian said at the press conference on retirement, he does not rule out the possibility of a comeback.
So no one knows whether Tang Tian will return like Jordan, like he may have been resting for a year and then making a comeback.
You should know that after completing three consecutive championships, Jordan immediately had another three consecutive championships after a year of rest.
Tang Tian, who is even more terrifying than Jordan, has been resting for a year after four consecutive championships, and it is not impossible for him to win four consecutive championships for five and six consecutive championships.
Therefore, Tang Tian’s rest time is extremely precious to each team.
In the most intuitive words, each team is trying hard to win the championship this year.
This is true in the west and the east.
Not to mention renewing Irving, signing Lopez, maintaining the same competitiveness of the Bucks as last season.
The Celtics, who were swept through the Eastern Conference Final last season, were not willing to fall behind, forming a Big Three lineup of Walker, Tatum and Griffin.
There are also the Raptors who have always been competitive and the Pacers who have won Oladipo.
Chapter completed!