Durant announced his joining the Pelicans so quickly that the Lakers didn't have time to retain him.

In fact, Jeanie Buss and Johnson felt they had a good chance of keeping Durant after meeting with him that night.

But reality came too fast, catching them off guard.

"Magic" Johnson resigned from his position as general manager of the Lakers immediately after hearing the news.

Lakers fans are very strict, just like their attitude towards Durant.

Johnson assembled a lineup of James and Durant but couldn't win a championship, and he was heavily criticized for his role player configuration.

Especially regarding Simmons, they believed Simmons was incompatible with the James-Durant combo, but Johnson kept him.

Now, after a season, Simmons' trade value has plummeted, and Johnson is facing even more criticism.

Lopez went to Milwaukee, Durant went to New Orleans, and Johnson resigned.

The Lakers, who had finally risen, were about to collapse again.

Just like the Lakers fans on social media saying "What do we do?", the Lakers seemed to be facing dark days again.

Some fans even called for Kobe to take over as the team's general manager, hoping the Black Mamba could bring a miracle to the Lakers.

In the midst of the crisis, the Lakers management reacted quickly, appointing well-known league agent Rob Pelinka as the new general manager.

The next day, they held a press conference. In addition to Jeanie Buss, legend Kobe and his wife Vanessa also came to show their support.

Pelinka also stated at the press conference that he would help the Lakers overcome the current difficulties.

And he did just that.

In the next two days, Pelinka demonstrated his personal abilities.

First, he reached a four-year, $120 million contract extension with Middleton.

This contract seemed large, but when Harris needed a max contract extension, Middleton was relatively not overpriced.

And that wasn't the end. He followed up by signing Randle for two years, $50 million and Horford for four years, $100 million respectively.

The Lakers splashed nearly $300 million in an instant.

But after these moves, their starting lineup became Simmons + Middleton + James + Randle + Horford.

This lineup was still very competitive in the Western Conference next season.

And this lineup allowed James to return to the small forward position, which was undoubtedly good news for the 36-year-old James.

As the Lakers completed these signings, there was also the latest news on other free agents in the league.

Bledsoe joined the Jazz for four years and $85 million.

Bledsoe performed well for the Wizards last season, averaging 17.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists.

The Jazz finally found a suitable backcourt partner for Mitchell, which meant they wouldn't keep last season's starting point guard, Rubio.

Rubio joined the Suns for three years and $51 million.

Whether it was Payton Jr. or Dennis Smith Jr., they had been proven not to be qualified point guards, and the Suns' talent had not been realized.

After signing Porzingis to a big contract, the newly appointed team general manager James Jones finally brought a reliable backcourt commander to the team.

The Suns would be a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference next season.

The Trail Blazers signed Whiteside for two years and $20 million, with the second year being a team option.

The Kings signed Dedmon for three years and $36 million.

At this moment, two consecutive news from Woj once again attracted the attention of all fans.

The Thunder sent Oladipo to the Pacers for the Pacers' 2025 draft pick and young players such as Caris LeVert.

After sending away Oladipo, they immediately reached an agreement with the Rockets.

The Rockets traded Chris Paul, first-round picks in 2024 and 2026, plus first-round pick swaps in 2021 and 2025, from the Thunder for Westbrook!

According to Woj's follow-up report, the Thunder fully considered Westbrook's personal wishes in this transaction.

The Thunder would consider trading Paul again, or staying with the team to guide young rookies.

This deal, like Durant joining the Pelicans before, once again plunged social media into chaos.

After Tang Tian retired, the Thunder's former Big Three became a new force.

And the格局 (géjú, overall situation) of the West was as chaotic as social media.

The Spurs, still with Leonard, George and Aldridge;

The Pelicans, who signed Durant and had Durant, Davis and Gasol;

The Lakers, who signed Horford and Randle, forming Simmons, Middleton, James, Randle, and Horford;

The Rockets, who traded for Westbrook, forming the Wei-Deng duo;

The Mavericks, who re-signed Harris, whose combat power was no less than last season;

The Warriors, with a foundation of 73 wins, led by the Splash Brothers;

The Suns, who signed Rubio, with a talent of Jalen Brown, Porzingis, Ayton, etc., were finally about to make a big splash;

The Kings, who signed Dedmon, almost entered the playoffs last season under the performance of Hield, Fox, Barnes, etc.;

The Nuggets, who were unique, with Jokic driving the system, and almost made the playoffs last season;

The Trail Blazers, who had a double gun and signed Whiteside;

The Clippers, who had Jimmy Butler and Doncic, and were fifth in the West last season;

The Jazz, who signed Bledsoe, plus the original Mitchell and Gobert;

Of the 15 teams in the West, except for the Thunder and Grizzlies who confirmed they were tanking, and the Timberwolves were really bad.

12 teams, almost every team had enough reason and strength to make the playoffs in the new season!

If the era before Tang Tian's retirement was a competition between several super teams, then the new season was a real battle for supremacy.

Just like Tang Tian said at his retirement press conference, he didn't rule out the possibility of a comeback.

So no one knew whether Tang Tian would be like Jordan, who might come back after a year of rest.

You know, Jordan completed three consecutive championships, and then came another wave of three consecutive championships after a year of rest.

Tang Tian, who was even more terrifying than Jordan, might not be impossible to get a wave of four, or even five or six consecutive championships after a year of rest after four consecutive championships.

So Tang Tian's time off was precious to all teams.

To put it bluntly, all teams were trying their best to get the championship in this year.

The West was like this, and so was the East.

Not to mention the Bucks, who renewed their contract with Irving, signed Lopez, and maintained the same competitiveness as last season.

The Celtics, who were swept in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, were not far behind, forming a Big Three lineup of Walker, Tatum, and Griffin.

There were also the ever-competitive Raptors, and the Pacers, who got Oladipo.

To quote a famous line from *Bright Sword*, "The Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region is in a complete mess!"