This trade proposal is simple: Siakam for Holiday + a second-round pick.

After receiving a huge contract extension last summer, Harris has been performing exceptionally well this season, averaging nearly 20 points per game.

This scoring output is second only to Embiid on the Mavericks and makes him the team's leading outside scorer.

Harris's increased scoring and role will inevitably affect Conley and Holiday.

Conley, because of Carlisle's trust and his excellent playmaking, is not significantly affected.

The most affected is Holiday.

Holiday's shot attempts and playing time have both been drastically reduced.

The Mavericks know they can't afford to re-sign Holiday next season, so they are preemptively reducing his role on the team.

This approach is a win-win. In addition to preparing in advance, it also allows them to lower his price when negotiating a new contract next season.

For the Mavericks, it would still be worthwhile if they could re-sign Holiday at a lower price.

Holiday is diligent, but he's not a fool. Over time, he will definitely become dissatisfied and actively request a trade.

Little Nelson looked around and ultimately set his sights on the Pelicans' Siakam.

Holiday is a former Pelican, and Siakam has outstanding talent. Plus, his rookie contract has just ended, so even a max contract extension wouldn't be too expensive, not to mention he may not even require a max.

Tang Tian gently tapped his finger on the coffee table, constantly thinking and weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

The Pelicans currently have good chemistry, and rashly disrupting it carries considerable risk.

But the regular season is, after all, just the regular season, and the Pelicans' guard line is still relatively weak.

Durant is a formidable scorer at the shooting guard position, but the previous games against the Rockets, Lakers, and Spurs were all close calls, even relying on luck.

A major reason for this is Durant's defense.

He is indeed faster, but he still struggles to defend top-tier shooting guards, even to the point of being unable to defend them.

And if Siakam plays the three, he also can't defend shooting guards.

This is also determined by Durant's height. 2.06 meters is the official height, but his actual height is close to 2.10 meters, which is the height of a center.

Such a height inevitably results in a high center of gravity, which cannot be compensated for by losing weight.

Tang Tian's clever idea at the time was indeed good, but not perfect.

In comparison, it would be perfect if he could trade back for Holiday and let Durant return to the small forward position.

However, a new problem is that Holiday's contract also expires next summer, and unlike Siakam, he is not a restricted free agent.

In other words, if Holiday is highly sought after in the free market, the Pelicans may end up letting him go for nothing.

In that case, the final result of this trade would be that the Pelicans only get Holiday's services for half a year, plus a worthless second-round pick.

That would be a very bad deal.

There are advantages and disadvantages, and it depends on how you weigh them.

"What do you think?"

After thinking it over, Tang Tian opened his mouth to ask Demps for his opinion.

Demps has made great progress in recent years and is fully qualified to be an assistant and advisor.

"I think it's good. Although there's the risk next summer, we'll face the same risk even if we keep Pascal," Demps gave his opinion. He was in favor of the trade.

Tang Tian nodded.

What Demps said was true, so whether or not this trade is made, whether or not the team wins the championship this season will directly affect next year's operations.

Based on this premise, the priority is to consider which lineup is most likely to contend for a five-peat.

"Do it, but the Mavericks have to bleed a little more. Get a first-round pick from them, and you should say hello to Brad first," Tang Tian made the final decision.

Demps nodded.

Not only Stevens, but he would also say hello to Siakam in advance.

The latter has worked diligently for the Pelicans for three years, contributing both effort and merit. It wouldn't be fair to trade him just as he's finally become a starter.

But Demps has indeed made great progress. While dealing with internal team matters, he was also negotiating with the Mavericks, and progress was rapid.

Time flew by, and the trade deadline arrived in the blink of an eye.

It was also at this time that a series of trades were completed.

The Suns traded Jalen Brown and T.J. Warren, a 2021 unprotected first-round pick, to the Raptors for DeRozan.

The Raptors' "trash brothers" duo finally came to an end on this trade deadline.

Lowry was in low spirits after learning of the trade, but that's the business of the NBA.

The Kings traded Harrison Barnes, a future first-round pick, and a future second-round pick to the Timberwolves for Wiggins.

Barnes performed mediocrely with the Kings, and the Kings are hoping that Wiggins can bring new changes to the team.

The Jazz traded Jae Crowder and a 2021 first-round pick to the Pacers for Bogdanovic.

The Jazz gave up a lot in this trade, showing how much they value Bogdanovic and believe that the latter can help them return to the playoffs.

The Trail Blazers traded Whiteside, Zach Collins, and a 2021 second-round pick to the Cavaliers for Love.

Whiteside began his nomadic journey after leaving the Pelicans. The Cavaliers are already the third team he's played for in a single season, and even more frustrating, it's his second stint with them.

And unlike the previous Trail Blazers, the Timberwolves are making this trade solely for his expiring contract.

His NBA career seems to be entering its final stages.

And after acquiring Love, the Trail Blazers have bolstered their frontcourt firepower.

But whether or not this will help them return to the Western Conference playoff picture depends on how well Love gels with the team.

…

Other trades were successively completed.

Pelicans fans on the message boards were enjoying the show.

Now that the team is thriving and maintaining this momentum, there's a chance to challenge the Lakers and Spurs like last year.

But as they were watching the excitement, they were shocked by a piece of news released by Woj near the trade deadline.

Those who were watching the excitement suddenly realized that their own team was part of the excitement too.

The Pelicans traded Siakam and Temple, as well as a 10 million trade exception and a 2021 second-round pick, to the Mavericks for Jrue Holiday and a 2020 first-round pick.

When this trade news came out, half of the Pelicans fans were stunned, and the other half were cursing.

The Pelicans' secrecy was well-maintained. There were no rumors before the trade, so it was truly caught off guard.

But after regaining their senses, they had already begun to analyze the pros and cons of the trade.

Soon, they all came to a consensus.

Hmm, this is a good trade.

Because after the trade was completed, Tang Tian immediately posted a status update on Twitter.

"Welcome home, my brother @Jrue Holiday."

Memories of past times flooded the fans' minds. Holiday was instrumental in the Pelicans' first two of four consecutive championships.