Chapter 105 Tang Tian Day

Before Hunter could finish speaking, the cheers from the crowd were already deafening, with many fans even standing up to cheer.

In the United States, being singled out for a designated day is very symbolic, such as Independence Day and Lincoln's Birthday.

Even for a city, it's rare to have a day named after something, let alone a sports athlete.

Tang Tian Day was announced by Hunter, but it wasn't a decision he made alone. It was the result of discussions by the New Orleans State Legislature.

As Hunter said, Tang Tian's contribution to the city went far beyond basketball. It was the inspiration he, as a basketball player, brought to the city spiritually through his influence.

This was an immeasurable value, especially since Tang Tian was Chinese, making his actions even more commendable.

The fans' reaction showed that they were happy with the result.

Tang Tian stood up from his seat and thanked the fans and Hunter. Having a day named after him was an honor even greater than a championship.

His influence in the city reached its peak.

The Pelicans' championship parade ended, and the content of the parade spread through media and documentaries.

Fans were deeply shocked, and Tang Tian's influence also increased globally.

Especially for fans in China, Tang Tian's achievements as a Chinese were unimaginable.

Although only 24 years old, he had already locked in his place as the most influential and accomplished overseas player in the NBA.

After the championship parade, Tang Tian spent a day with his family in New Orleans.

Americans tend to separate proposals and weddings, with many people holding weddings years after getting engaged.

But Tang Tian was Chinese. After the proposal, it was natural to have a wedding.

The two had already started discussing the wedding arrangements for the summer.

Tang Tian would be participating in the Olympics this summer, meaning he wouldn't be available in August, so the wedding could only be in July or September.

After discussing it, they tentatively set the date for September, when the weather wouldn't be so hot, and their wedding could be held outdoors.

They didn't have any disagreements on the timing, but they had different ideas about the location.

Tang Tian wanted to have the wedding in Hawaii, where the environment was more comfortable.

Olsen, on the other hand, wanted to have the wedding in Tang Tian's hometown.

Friends and family from the United States could charter a plane to fly over, which wouldn't be a problem.

More importantly, she knew it was a Chinese tradition.

Tang Tian was touched that Olsen considered so much for him, but that would be too unfair to her.

Neither of them could convince the other, and they would have to discuss it slowly.

The next day, Tang Tian traveled to Brooklyn, New York with Dell Demps.

The league was really promoting the Nets, and now the Barclays Center had replaced Madison Square Garden as the designated arena for the draft.

On the plane to Brooklyn, Demps mentioned a trade proposal he had received that day.

The 76ers wanted to trade their 20th overall pick from the Heat and their 22nd overall pick from the Thunder for their 30th overall pick and Spencer Dinwiddie.

Dinwiddie, as a second-year player and Nash's new disciple, had performed well for the Pelicans last season.

In less than 20 minutes of playing time per game, he contributed 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, with his scoring only second to Bojan Bogdanović on the bench.

With his excellent height and increasingly improving passing ability, Dinwiddie's current performance was no worse than Shaun Livingston of the Warriors, let alone in the future.

The 76ers had been tanking and accumulating draft picks for the past few years, but the rookies they had selected hadn't been as good as expected, with Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel underperforming.

More importantly, they didn't have any worthwhile players to develop on the perimeter, and this year they only got the second overall pick, meaning they would most likely have to select Brandon Ingram.

Therefore, finding a point guard with potential was their goal.

Without the benefit of hindsight, after last year's strong draft class, this year's draft quality was average.

Using two mid-first-round picks to trade for Dinwiddie and a late-first-round pick was a fair value and a reasonable proposal.

That's why Demps brought it up to Tang Tian.

In their previous discussions, Dinwiddie was supposed to get a contract extension.

Tang Tian didn't answer immediately; he was thinking.

Just like he had asked Demps to trade for as many draft picks as possible, there were several rookies this year who could be good steals in the later rounds.

The Pelicans had to pay a price if they wanted to get draft picks.

The starting five plus Bogdanović were untouchable unless they could bring about a qualitative change.

Among the remaining players, Dinwiddie was really the only one with a contract and significant trade value.

The plane arrived in Brooklyn, and on the way to the Barclays Center, Tang Tian finally made a decision and told Demps to agree to the trade.

Dinwiddie's talent was outstanding, and after being polished and growing with the Pelicans, he would definitely get a very good contract next year.

At that time, the Pelicans would have several big contracts, and they would also have to consider Nikola Jokic's early contract extension, which they might not be able to afford.

Instead of taking that risk, it was a better choice to trade for draft picks now and select the quality players he could get.

This was also the best way to maximize his transmigrator identity.

After making the decision, Demps went to communicate with the 76ers.

After the trade was finalized, he contacted Dinwiddie.

Being traded just days after winning the championship was definitely not something Dinwiddie would accept easily.

But the NBA is sometimes a business, and Tang Tian had been abandoned by the Spurs despite playing so well before.

Unless you're really strong like Tang Tian is now, players always have to worry about themselves.

However, for Dinwiddie, he had Jrue Holiday and Tang Tian ahead of him on the Pelicans, so the chances of him starting were slim.

In other words, he had a developmental bottleneck in New Orleans, and going to the rebuilding 76ers was an opportunity to make a name for himself.

On the eve of the draft, the draft teams from each team arrived at the arena one after another.

Fans also shifted their attention from the Pelicans' championship parade to the draft.

The NBA offseason is very long, and the draft and free agency are the parts that fans pay the most attention to.

It's like playing 2K, and it's very important to pay attention to how your favorite team will draft.

However, on the eve of the draft, Wojnarowski broke the news about the Pelicans' trade.

The Pelicans were sending out Spencer Dinwiddie and this year's 30th overall pick to the 76ers in exchange for this year's 20th and 22nd overall picks.

This news caused a stir among fans.

Dinwiddie had played well for the Pelicans and was important to the team, and the Pelicans traded him away just after winning the championship.

While many fans were exclaiming that they didn't understand, they were also paying attention to what kind of rookie was worth such a big price for the Pelicans.