Johnson was snatched away, and the Spurs had to turn around and chose Little Kevin Porter.

The Lakers selected Dylan Windler at the end of the first round.

The first round of the draft ended here.

At this time, Bol Bol in the small green room looked lonely.

As the son of Hall of Famer Manute Bol, he was a five-star high school student in high school and joined the strong University of Oregon.

In the first 9 games of the season, he averaged 21 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks, and was considered a lottery pick at the very least, competing for the top three.

But injuries ruined him. A stress fracture in his left foot was the culprit that caused Yao Ming to retire.

Now all the teams know about his injury. It is not impossible for him to fall out of the first round or even go undrafted.

Speaking of which, his father, the elder Bol, suffered a car accident at the age of 45, and his life fell into a difficult situation. He passed away early at the age of 47.

This is also the experience of the stars of the last century. At that time, the league had low income and no pensions, so it was difficult to guarantee life in old age.

Now, like his father, he is suffering.

Tang Tian then discussed Bol with Stevens and Demps.

Bol certainly has the talent. As a big man, he has excellent mobility and pick-and-roll ability, and the key is that he has shooting ability that extends to the three-point line.

But his problems are also obvious: foot injury and too thin.

To put it simply, this is an injury-ridden, enhanced version of Zhou Qi.

If he can be signed in the second round, the risk is worth taking.

Moreover, for players who may be written off due to injury, the Pelicans can completely sign him to a several-year non-guaranteed contract if they really draft him.

If he can play well, it will be a huge profit like the Rockets signing Parsons back then. If he can’t, the loss will not be great.

After their communication, they basically confirmed it.

Demps went to try to exchange cash or a future second-round pick for a draft pick. If Bol was selected in advance, they would give up.

The second round of the draft continued until the 40th pick, and Bol was still sitting in the small green room.

Demps started operating at this time, and soon he exchanged a future second-round pick for the Heat's No. 44 pick.

Tang Tian's retirement made the Pelicans' future second-round picks more valuable.

"In the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft, with the 44th overall pick, the New Orleans Pelicans select Bol Bol, a 2.15-meter center from the University of Oregon."

Tatum's assistant announced the Pelicans' final choice.

When Bol heard his name being called, the emotions he had been holding back finally collapsed, and he cried directly.

It was too difficult.

He has already set the record for the lowest pick in the small green room. Every pick after that is constantly refreshing the record.

The Pelicans finally picked him up.

And like Johnson before, being selected by the Pelicans is the happiest thing for rookies.

After taking the stage for a group photo, he also accepted an interview with reporters on the sidelines.

"We all know that you were considered to have a chance to enter the lottery, but now you weren't selected until the 44th pick. How do you feel now?"

The reporter's attitude towards second-round picks is obviously more direct than before, especially the question she asked is what fans want to know.

"It was a difficult night. The result was different from what I expected, but I am grateful to be standing here. I have to thank the Pelicans for their trust in me. I will do my best to prove myself and prove that their choice was not wrong."

Bol has recovered from his collapsed emotions, and his words also show that he is a player with a high spirit.

The Pelicans' draft is over, and Tang Tian and Stevens went down to the court to say hello to the two rookies.

Johnson and Bol were very excited.

Although they are not Tang Tian's fans like Barrett, it is an honor for these young people to see the No. 1 player in NBA history.

Not to mention saying hello to Tang Tian, ​​and even being touched on the head by Tang Tian.

The draft ended with a bang, and Tang Tian also completed the first major event of his management career.

Because there is a Summer League in July, Johnson signed a contract with the Pelicans shortly after the draft.

The contracts and years of first-round picks are fixed, so it is the same for the Pelicans to sign sooner or later.

As for Bol, the team still needs to do further medical examinations on him to determine the contract the team wants to sign with him based on his injury.

This is also the reason why Tang Tian and the Pelicans management are willing to gamble with a second-round pick. The loss in the first round is a guaranteed contract, but the second round is just a draft pick.

The draft is all about picking people, and the subsequent signing is just a formality.

The follow-up work was handed over to Demps' assistant.

Tang Tian and Demps turned their attention to the upcoming free agent market.

With Tang Tian's retirement, the Pelicans will definitely look for a replacement in the free market.

Although this year's free market is not as lively as last year, there are still many superstars.

Middleton, Tobias Harris, Millsap, Horford, Russell...

These are just the second tier.

Durant, Irving, Thompson, Towns, Porzingis, Booker, these are the protagonists of the summer.

Tang Tian has a natural advantage in that some of these big-name players are his hard-training brothers.

This is also the reason why Benson was willing to believe that Tang Tian could bring back a superstar before.

Of course, everything is still unknown before the free market officially opens.

There are still a few days before the opening, and Tang Tian and Demps are actively preparing.

At this time, a guest came to Tang Tian's manor.

Li Chunjiang, the head coach of the Chinese men's basketball team.

There is only one and a half months before the opening of the World Cup, and the national team's training camp has reached its final stage.

Li Chunjiang is here to inquire about the team's roster.

The roster is generally decided by the coaching staff, but Tang Tian is the foundation of the men's basketball team, and his opinion is the most important.

In other words, Tang Tian has the final say on this matter.

After all, no matter who else goes, they are all playing around Tang Tian.

The list Li Chunjiang brought this time has 17 people, and they have already experienced several rounds of layoffs before.

Guards: Ding Yanyuhang, Guo Ailun, Zhao Jiwei, Fang Shuo, Wu Qian, Sun Minghui

Forwards: Tang Tian, Zhou Peng, Zhai Xiaochuan, Kelanbek, Abudushalamu, Ren Junfei

Centers: Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhelin, Shen Zijie, Hu Jinqiu, Zhang Zhenlin

Tang Tian took the list and looked at it, crossing out the names of himself, Ding Yanyuhang and Yi Jianlian.

These are definitely on the roster.

He didn't move any further, but looked up at Li Chunjiang.

"Do you have the videos of the national team's recent warm-up matches?"

He then asked.

As a time-traveler, he knows the abilities of these people.

But to be honest, this World Cup's opponents are very strong. In addition to strength, it also depends on the state of the players.

Li Chunjiang didn't expect Tang Tian to ask this, but he reacted quickly. After asking Tang Tian to wait for a while, he called China.