Each team is constantly strengthening, and Tang Tian is no exception.

He is now the team's vice president in charge of operations, and has begun to build the team's roster for the new season.

The Pelicans currently have 9 contracts on the books, 8 guaranteed and 1 non-guaranteed.

After winning four consecutive championships last season, Parker, Carter, and Anthony announced their retirement one after another.

Carter has even begun his broadcasting career on the summer league stage this year.

For them, winning a championship late in their careers has eliminated the motivation to continue playing.

Jeff Green's contract has expired, and considering his playing time with the Pelicans last season, he most likely won't be staying with the team.

Harrell's rookie contract has expired, and he is a restricted free agent. He has already received a 3-year, $42 million offer from the Clippers.

The Pelicans' salary cap is very tight after signing Durant, so they most likely won't match.

Including the retired Tang Tian, 6 players from last season's 15-man roster are no longer with the team.

Of the 8 players remaining, Davis, Durant, and Gasol are the foundation, and Brogdon, Siakam, Alexander, and Kuzma are the core rotation.

The remaining guaranteed contract is Mitchell Robinson, who is only in the second year of his rookie contract.

The non-guaranteed contract belongs to Ding Yanyuhang.

Because they brought in Durant, the Pelicans now have Durant and Davis, two super cores.

Although the next season will be a free-for-all, their strength is still among the top.

For Tang Tian, his challenge is not entirely in the next season, but more in the future.

Brogdon and Siakam's contracts will both expire at the end of next season, and their renewal starting salaries will definitely be at least 20 million.

Including Gasol, who is in good form with the Pelicans, is expected to be very popular after his contract expires.

In other words, Tang Tian's best option is to use their expiring contracts as bargaining chips to trade for draft picks or long-term contracts.

Otherwise, he may lose one or even two for nothing.

After scanning back and forth over the names of the three, he finally decided not to make a trade.

Too many things can happen in a year, and these people are indispensable to the current Pelicans.

Instead of actively breaking it up, it's better to wait and see. When the time comes, there will naturally be a conclusion as to who should stay.

With the general direction set, Tang Tian then began to plan for the next season.

Point guard: Alexander

With the experience of last season, Alexander has shown enough talent, and it is not a problem for him to serve as the team's starting point guard in the new season.

It's just that after Parker chose to retire, the backup for this position must be strengthened.

Shooting guard: Brogdon, Ding Yanyuhang, Keldon Johnson

Brogdon was originally a shooting guard, but because of Tang Tian and Walker's departure, he played point guard for a season.

He completed the task well, and with Tang Tian's retirement, he can finally return to the shooting guard position.

Ding Yanyuhang's performance in limited opportunities was also okay, proving that he is an NBA-level player.

Plus Keldon Johnson, who performed well in the summer league, this position is already enough.

Small forward: Durant, Kuzma

Power forward: Davis, Siakam

The frontline is the Pelicans' strongest position in the new season, and these four people will basically divide all the time.

So this position only needs to find two veterans to fill in experience.

Center: Gasol, Mitchell Robinson

After a medical examination, Bol Bol's condition is not optimistic, and the Pelicans finally decided to sign him to a two-way contract for two years.

This also means that Tang Tian has to find an experienced veteran at the center position.

There are many people to strengthen, but for Tang Tian, compared to his coaching career in his previous life, this is already the simplest mode.

He pulled out the free market list, and then pulled out the lists of each team, and quickly searched for the players he needed.

As for the point guard, Alexander is an organizational type, and the player he needs to find is best a sixth-man type.

He finally chose Dinwiddie and Garrett Temple, with Isaiah Thomas, Jeremy Lin, Jamal Crawford, and Trey Burke as backups.

Dinwiddie, as a former Pelicans player and Nash's former disciple, played very well in the Nets, and had previously renewed his contract for 3 years and 40 million.

But he had previously suffered a wave of injuries, and with LeVert's outstanding performance, his team positioning in the new season will be more awkward.

The Pelicans have a certain chance to get him through a draft pick trade.

Temple is a versatile backup among point guards, defense-first, and stability-oriented.

Theoretically speaking, Dinwiddie is difficult, but Temple is easy to get.

So Tang Tian listed a few more backups, the common point is that they are more risky in terms of injuries, but the return may be higher.

As for who can be signed in the end, it depends on Demps' negotiation skills.

On the front line, Tang Tian chose Sam Dekker and Justin Anderson.

These two are not popular in the free market and can be signed with non-guaranteed contracts.

This also belongs to the nature of scratching a lottery ticket. Although you have already seen the word "thank you", it is still worth a try.

At the center position, Tang Tian finally chose Pau Gasol.

Pau Gasol didn't play much last season due to injuries, but he still has some gas in his tank and can serve as Robinson's mentor.

That Robinson guy loves to jump too much, he must find someone to train him.

Of course, there is also the point that Little Gasol is on the team, and if he can sign Pau Gasol, it is also to play the emotional card for the free market next season.

Of course, Tang Tian also listed some candidate players on the front line and inside. Who can be brought in in the end depends on Demps' ability.

After making a plan, Tang Tian then went back to accompany his family and children.

The purpose of his retirement is to spend more time with his family. There is still the World Cup to play later, so he must spend more time with them at this time.

With Tang Tian's goals, Demps turned around and went to negotiate.

Three days passed, and he had already done almost everything.

On the point guard line, he didn't get Dinwiddie in the end. The Nets value Dinwiddie very much and are unwilling to trade.

In the end, Demps signed Temple and Trey Burke.

The former is 2 years and 10 million, and the latter is a one-year full guaranteed minimum salary.

Burke was selected to the All-Rookie First Team in his rookie season, and his talent is good. His performance with the Knicks last season was also remarkable.

Moreover, he is called by fans as someone who plays with Iverson's skin, and his scoring explosiveness as a small man is very good.

There was an accident on the front line. Carter turned around and found Demps and said that he had temporarily changed his mind and wanted to play for another year.

So in the end, Demps signed Carter and Sam Dekker on the front line, the former fully guaranteed, and the latter non-guaranteed.

As for the center, he successfully signed Pau Gasol.

As these signings proceeded, the Pelicans' 15-man roster for next season was also released.

Point guard: Alexander, Temple, Trey Burke

Shooting guard: Brogdon, Ding Yanyuhang, Keldon Johnson

Small forward: Durant, Kuzma, Carter

Power forward: Davis, Siakam, Sam Dekker

Center: Marc Gasol, Mitchell Robinson, Pau Gasol

Two-way contract: Bol Bol

This roster has veterans and young players, as well as immediate combat power. It can be foreseen that the competitiveness in the free-for-all next season will be quite good.