Chapter 867 Transaction or Layoffs

The Pelicans' second preseason opponent is the Nets.

The Nets signed Jeremy Lin in the summer and recently reached a training camp contract with Guo Ailun.

They unknowingly became the team with the second most Chinese elements.

The game also attracted much attention domestically.

However, there was not much suspense during the game.

Although the Pelicans' preseason focused on getting the lineup together, even though the Nets made it to the Eastern Conference playoffs last season and received reinforcements in the summer.

But the strength of the two teams is still quite different.

After halftime, the Pelicans already led the Nets by 20 points, 60-40.

In the third quarter, the Pelicans used all substitutes and maintained the point difference. The last quarter became garbage time.

The Pelicans also defeated the Nets 110-95 in the end, ushering in two consecutive preseason victories.

Brogdon scored another 15 points and 5 assists, Joe Harris scored 9 points, and Harrell scored 6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

Guo Ailun was replaced five minutes before the end. He hit all 2 shots and scored 4 points, 1 assist and 1 steal. He performed well.

However, this is a point of concern for domestic fans. For other fans, the Pelicans' two preseason games gave them the feeling of bottomless bench depth!

Generally speaking, an NBA team is considered a strong team if it has 8 to 10 players who can play.

But the feeling given by the Pelicans is that as long as they are given a chance, everyone with 16 people can play!

This is a very scary thing, which means that this team is not afraid of injuries during the season!

But for head coach Stevens, he will encounter happiness troubles in the new season.

Just like NBA2K, if the issue of player playing time is not properly handled, it can easily lead to problems in the locker room.

The only good news is that most of the bench players are rookies, and their needs in this area will not be as strong.

The Pelicans' opponent in their third preseason game is the Rockets.

The Rockets formed the Big Three, but were almost swept by the Pelicans last season. After the summer reinforcements, they tried hard to beat the Pelicans, including in the preseason.

In this game, the Pelicans continued to fine-tune their lineup and train new players, but the Rockets played normally.

In the end, the Rockets won the game, but the Pelicans continued to show their depth.

Harrell had an eye-catching performance with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Brogdon showed rare stability for a rookie and continued to contribute 13 points and 4 assists.

Zhou Qi did not get a chance to play in this game.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye it is the end of October, and the NBA preseason ends soon.

The Pelicans have a record of 5 wins and 1 loss in 6 games.

Because we are adjusting the lineup and training new players, this record is completely acceptable.

And after these few games, the Pelicans have gained a lot.

The biggest gain is naturally Brogdon.

The senior has shown extraordinary stability, averaging 13.6 points and 4.3 assists in 6 games and shooting 44% from three-point range.

Although it's only the preseason, this performance has already left a deep impression on Stevens.

The other guy who did well wasn't Siakam.

Siakam's shooting weakness was greatly magnified in the preseason, and he still needs time to grow.

The other one is Joe Harris.

This third-year student averaged only 8.2 points per game, which is not much, but his three-point shooting percentage reached an astonishing 51%!

Gaining two stable three-point shooters in one preseason, the Pelicans made huge profits from this wave of rookie inspections!

As the preseason comes to an end, the new season is approaching.

The management of each team is busy again at this time.

According to NBA season rules, there is no upper limit on the number of teams before the start of the regular season, but the roster must be reduced to 15 people before the start of the regular season.

Every team will have personnel changes in the summer, and most teams do not guarantee contracts.

Most teams will sign more than 15 players to their roster before the season and compete to determine a few players at the end of the lineup.

The Pelicans are also facing this problem now.

With consecutive signings in the summer and the additions of Siakam and Brogdon, even if several non-guaranteed contracts were previously cut, the team still has 16 players on the roster.

Now they must consider making final cuts or trades before the season starts.

The team's rotation, as well as the newcomers who have signed guaranteed contracts, will basically not be sent away.

After the screening, all the Pelicans have to do is choose one of the two non-guaranteed contracts, Joe Harris and Gary Forbes, to waive.

This is not a simple multiple choice question.

While Harris had a strong preseason, Forbes also had a stellar season last season.

The latter had a 23-point performance in a single game against the Spurs in the season finale, and the quasi-win helped the Pelicans win their 74th victory.

After communicating with Stevens and Tang Tian, ​​Demps finally made a choice.

Both stayed.

The Pelicans' defense line is still relatively weak. Deron was in average preseason form, Brogdon is still a rookie, and Stephenson often loses power on the court.

In this case, keeping an extra defender is a good choice.

In contrast, it is a wiser choice to trade an inside position.

With two star insiders, Jokic and Davis, most of the time they only need a backup inside player to play a three-man rotation.

David West is that person. He was in good form in the preseason and coupled with his ability to stretch the floor, he is more than qualified.

And Boban is the nuclear weapon. If he encounters a team that focuses on positional warfare, he can stand up as a substitute inside to protect the frame.

Even if you encounter a fast team, Harrell, who had outstanding performance last season and preseason, can still play for a few minutes.

In this case, Biyombo will not seem so important.

His speed is not fast, and his defense is relatively limited due to his height. When he was in good form last season, he did not share much playing time with McGee.

When he came back this season, his condition in training camp and preseason was average, so trading him away is a good choice.

Time was running out. After deciding on the candidates, Demps immediately contacted the general managers of each team, and the results were soon available.

The Raptors are willing to trade a second-round pick for Biyombo.

The Raptors lack a backup big man who can protect the rim, and they are at the top of the Eastern Conference, so their second-round pick is worthless.

The deal was reached quickly, with the Raptors acquiring Biyombo in exchange for a non-guaranteed contract and a second-round pick.

After the deal was reached, the Pelicans cut the non-guaranteed contract and successfully reduced the roster to 15 people.

The Pelicans players said goodbye to Biyombo in the locker room. The latter also played for the Pelicans for more than a year and gave the team a lot of help when he first came.

And he's a good guy too.

The NBA is a cruel business league, but the atmosphere of the Pelicans minimizes this business.

In the three years since Tang Tian joined the Pelicans, many people have left the team one after another, but except for Whiteside, everyone else is more grateful to the Pelicans.