However, Shamet was on the list Tang Tian gave, and regardless of how the Bojan trade went, this choice wasn't a problem.

The draft continued, quickly reaching the very end of the first round.

Dempsey also quickly made the 30th overall pick.

Unlike the selection of Shamet, this choice had little doubt.

The player he wanted to choose was also the top-ranked player on Tang Tian's list.

Tatum walked to the front of the stage for the last time in this year's draft.

What he was about to announce was also the last first-round pick of this draft.

"With the 30th pick in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans select Mitchell Robinson, a 2.16-meter center from New Orleans."

This was the last rookie Tatum announced this year, but the content of the announcement was quite different from other rookies.

Generally, during the draft, for overseas players who haven't played in the NCAA, their country of origin would be announced.

For those with NCAA experience, whether overseas or American, the school they came from would be announced.

But announcing that Robinson was from a specific city was a first.

It wasn't that the envelope he was holding was miswritten, nor that he wanted to do something special at the last moment, but because Robinson was a very special rookie.

As a former top-10 high school player in the nation, he had the top physical talent for an inside player, and he could also shoot three-pointers.

Especially his wingspan. He averaged an astonishing 6.3 blocks per game in high school, with frequent rim-level dunks and volleyball-style blocks.

After graduating from high school, he was also admitted to the prestigious NCAA school, the University of Kentucky.

Following the normal path, he should have made a name for himself at Kentucky and entered the NBA as a lottery pick or even a top-five pick.

But this guy's path was abnormal.

Right after graduating from high school, because he was determined to follow his favorite coach, Rick Stansbury, he first chose Texas A&M.

At that time, Stansbury was an assistant coach at Texas A&M, but later he transferred to Kentucky, and Robinson followed him.

However, in July, because his godfather, Sam Williams, who was also an assistant coach at Kentucky, left the school, he also sought to transfer.

But as a result, because he would have to sit out a year due to transferring, he directly gave up the opportunity to play in the NCAA.

After that, he hired a trainer and prepared for the NBA draft through closed training.

From a normal person's point of view, his choices from beginning to end were really stupid.

While he was training at home, the players of the same grade participating in the draft were gaining valuable tactical literacy and game experience in the college league.

Moreover, he had previously missed the joint tryout.

This was why the center, who was originally a top-10 high school player with explosive physical talent, remained unselected.

But Tang Tian was a transmigrator, he knew Robinson's talent, and he strongly recommended him to Dempsey.

So Dempsey chose him without hesitation.

With a guard and a center, the Pelicans' draft this year could be said to be a success.

But Dempsey was still waiting.

A good habit he had developed over the years was to take the list given by Tang Tian and wait for them to be selected one by one.

If there was an opportunity, he could try to make a move with cash or future draft picks.

He waited until the very end of the draft this year.

When it went all the way to the 60th pick, he found that there was still someone on Tang Tian's list who hadn't been selected.

He didn't hesitate and made his move directly.

"With the 60th overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans select Allonzo Trier, a 1.96-meter shooting guard from the University of Arizona."

"This year's draft is over, thank you for everyone's participation, thank you."

Tatum's assistant announced the last draft result of the year, also announcing the end of this year's draft.

The draft had ended, but the number of discussions on social media suddenly increased.

The reason was related to the last player selected by the Pelicans.

Generally speaking, the 60th pick was just a formality, and even if selected, it was unlikely to be signed.

But this Allonzo Trier, like Robinson, had a story.

If you trace the time back to 2015, Trier was a player who was predicted to be selected with the 17th pick in the first round of that year's draft.

But because of a drug test issue, Trier was directly banned for three years, and only this year was he able to formally participate in the draft.

If it weren't for the Pelicans, he would have been undrafted.

This was completely reasonable.

Even if you once had talent, but you haven't played an official game for three years, it's truly unbelievable to be selected.

But this was the benefit of being a transmigrator. Tang Tian knew that Trier was a Crawford-esque player with considerable ability.

Moreover, in history, he once averaged 11 points as a two-way contract player, and got the largest contract in history, 2 years for 7 million.

It was a considerable gain for the Pelicans to pick him up at this position.

Two guards and one center, Dempsey smiled as he walked out of Madison Square Garden.

The 2018 NBA Draft officially came to an end, and the hot rookies became the focus of discussion for fans and the media during this period.

However, the general managers of each team began to shift their focus to the free agent market that was about to come as soon as the draft ended.

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker, Nikola Jokic, DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan, Clint Capela, Aaron Gordon...

This was definitely the craziest free agent market in the last decade.

As long as the basic operations were done well, there was even a chance to directly turn from a fish belly team into a favorite to win the championship.

Although the league explicitly stipulated that players and teams must not contact each other or even mention each other before the free market opened.

Magic Johnson, the general manager of the Lakers, had been fined more than once for implying that LeBron James might come to the Lakers.

But no one knew how much private communication there was.

So at this time, the league was like a calm sea, but in reality, there were already undercurrents surging.

Dempsey was already overwhelmed.

The Tang Tian clause was the result of communication between the league's senior management, but it had a really big impact on the Pelicans.

If Walker and Butler ended up leaving, the Pelicans' strength would plummet.

And even if they really couldn't be retained in the end, he would definitely have to find a way to bring back useful assets for the Pelicans through a sign-and-trade.

The opening of the free market was getting closer and closer, and the rumors were gradually increasing, among which a few were worth paying attention to.

The Warriors had already said that no matter how big the contract, no matter what the hard cap was, they would keep Durant.

Oakland media also had news that Durant would most likely choose to stay with the Warriors.

One was related to Durant, and the other was related to LeBron James.

According to multiple media outlets in Los Angeles, it was only a matter of time before LeBron James joined the Lakers.