However, the Pelicans weren't the only team interested in Williams.

The Clippers, Rockets, and Mavericks all had their eyes on him.

After losing Paul, the Clippers lacked an outside scoring threat with the ball in his hands, and Williams' playing style was a good fit for them.

The Mavericks were in a similar situation; after playing team basketball this season, they needed to improve their rotation strength to compete with the Pelicans and Warriors.

The Rockets' thinking was more complex. On the one hand, they wanted to continue strengthening their bench. On the other hand, if they got him, it meant the Pelicans couldn't, which was a way to indirectly prevent their rivals from getting stronger.

In short, a player like this, a leading scorer on a weaker team with immediate impact, a low salary, and a reasonable price, was a hot commodity in the eyes of championship contenders, and everyone was scrambling for him.

Who he ended up with depended on the final offers from each team, and how the Lakers' management ultimately weighed the pros and cons.

Williams became a hot commodity on the trade market, but he wasn't the only one on the trading block before this year's trade deadline, not by a long shot.

The 76ers were shopping their three big men, Okafor, Noel, and Randle, none of whom were the cornerstone players they wanted to build around.

The Magic were shopping Ibaka, one of the former Oklahoma City Thunder prodigies they acquired in the summer.

The Wizards were shopping their star point guard John Wall.

The Kings were shopping their star Chris Bosh.

The Nuggets were shopping their leading scorer Danilo Gallinari.

The Grizzlies put their only All-Star player, Marc Gasol, on the trading block.

The Jazz were inquiring about Gordon Hayward's trade value in the free agent market.

...

The rumors were flying, but they were all normal reactions in an era of multiple contenders.

In the East, the Cavaliers stood out as the clear favorite, while some teams, like the Raptors, Bucks, and Pacers, continued to hold onto their challenger positions.

But the remaining Wizards said they couldn't compete and were preparing to tear down and rebuild ahead of schedule.

The West was even more obvious. The Pelicans, Warriors, Spurs, Mavericks, and Rockets were all stacked with stars, and their strength clearly surpassed that of other teams.

The remaining teams basically couldn't compete, so they might as well start planning for the new season in advance, just like the Wizards in the East.

Such chaos hadn't been seen for many years, and it was also a chain reaction caused by team-ups.

The strong teams were getting stronger, while the weak teams were falling into the predicament of tanking year after year.

As the trade deadline approached, the rumors in the market became more and more numerous, creating a sense of impending doom.

That day, Dell Demps approached Tang Tian and told him about the trade negotiations with the Lakers.

The Pelicans, Mavericks, Rockets, and Clippers basically offered first-round picks next year.

Among them, the Clippers had the worst record and were the most valuable.

However, the Lakers didn't have much interest in making a trade with the Clippers. As cross-town rivals, they wouldn't trade with the Clippers unless absolutely necessary.

Of the remaining teams, the Rockets offered Brewer and a first-round pick, the Mavericks offered Devin Harris and a first-round pick, and the Pelicans offered Deron Williams and a first-round pick.

The offers from the three teams were actually similar. The Pelicans' biggest advantage was that Deron had a one-year contract, while Brewer and Harris both had two-year contracts.

"Add a young player."

Tang Tian gave Demps a suggestion.

He knew Williams. Although he had weaknesses, he was more than enough as a sixth man.

Moreover, the Pelicans had a few too many young players right now. Using young players to trade for some immediate impact was the right way to increase their chances of defending their title.

Demps agreed.

Players like Bryn Forbes, who performed well last season, and Joe Harris, who had an outstanding preseason, had very limited playing time this season.

If these potential stocks don't get a chance to play, they'll eventually rot in your hands.

February 23rd, U.S. time, the trade deadline arrived as scheduled.

On this day, Woj dropped a series of bombshells.

The Knicks sent Derrick Rose, Skal Labissiere, plus first-round picks in 2017, 2019, and 2021, as well as two future second-round picks, to the Wizards in exchange for John Wall and Ian Mahinmi.

From the Wizards' point of view, their plan was to tear down and rebuild. Rose had an expiring contract, Labissiere was a potential stock (averaging 8.1 points and 4.3 rebounds as a rookie, with a 51% shooting percentage), and a considerable number of draft picks, all of which they needed.

And although they sent Wall away, they also got rid of Mahinmi's garbage contract.

The latter had just signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the team in the summer, but was only averaging 5 points and 5 rebounds this season.

From the Knicks' point of view, Anthony and Howard were already getting old, and they didn't have time to wait any longer.

Wall was an All-Star caliber point guard, and also a scholar. He was a very suitable point guard for Anthony.

Mahinmi, who was acquired in the trade, had a bit of a garbage contract, but he could become Howard's backup.

Of course, the most important thing was that the Knicks had plenty of money.

Moreover, the first-round picks they sent out, especially the one next year, were definitely not valuable. The only valuable ones were the last two.

Trading two valuable first-round picks for Wall was not a loss for them.

After making this trade, they really had the strength to compete with the Cavaliers.

Wall's trade kicked off this year's trade deadline, and then Woj continued to drop big trades.

The Knicks got stronger, and the Raptors, who were also competitors, didn't fall behind. They sent Terrence Ross and a first-round pick next year to the Magic in exchange for Ibaka.

The Knicks and Raptors both got stronger, and the Cavaliers couldn't sit still. They sent Mike Dunleavy, Mo Williams, and a protected 2019 first-round pick to the Hawks in exchange for Kyle Korver.

The Bucks also reached a trade with the Hornets, sending Miles Plumlee and receiving Roy Hibbert, continuing to move towards the one-star-fourteen-shooter goal that the Chinese team used in the Olympics.

The Cavaliers, Knicks, Raptors, and Bucks became the top group in the East.

There were many big trades in the East. In comparison, the pattern in the West, which had already been set, was a bit of a storm in a teacup.

Marc Gasol, Bosh, and Hayward all ultimately stayed with their teams, and the trades that were made were all small trades.

In addition to these All-Stars, the final destination of the highly anticipated Williams also had a final result.

After adding Joe Harris to the trade package, the Pelicans successfully completed a three-way trade.

The Lakers sent Lou Williams to get Deron, the Pelicans' 2017 first-round pick, and the Nets' future second-round pick.

The Nets sent a future second-round pick to get Joe Harris.

The Pelicans sent Deron, Joe Harris, and the 2017 first-round pick to get Lou Williams from the Lakers.