"I scored 8 points." Tang Shuai did not explain too much this time. Batum is the only defensive vanguard on the outside of the Lakers. He is very important to the team, but his importance is relatively worse than Noel.

"I scored 9 points. If possible, I think the team's current lineup is good enough." Westbrookdo said.

"Okay, I know what you think." Billups didn't explain too much.

Shuai Tang and Westbrook came out of the coach's office, and their brows were tight, obviously not very understanding of the team's planning.

"Don, I know you have a good relationship with Mickey, why don't you ask?" Westbrook felt particularly uncomfortable with this unpredictable feeling.

"I think if Changxi doesn't want to reveal it to us, I probably can't ask." Tang Shuai said after thinking about it.

Westbrook was stunned for a moment, and then didn't say anything. He had played in the league for so long, of course he knew that players were commodities. His instinctive reaction just now was just because he had just experienced Durant's departure not long ago.

Tang Shuai and Leonard have joined the line, but they still have a way to go before they have a private relationship with each other, and packaging is not something that can be completed in a short while.

After the All-Star Game, Lakers' opponents were still playing with this weakness. The team's record was unstable, and the record of 2 wins and 2 losses still had big problems.

On February 22, US time, the 2017 NBA trading deadline came as scheduled, and the arrival of this day also made the entire league feel unprecedented volatility.

The three strongest teams in the East and West all made reinforcement trades on this day.

The Warriors signed Boris Dior, who was cut by the Jazz with a basic salary contract, and made the team's most powerful addition to the team's inside line, and the Warriors became the last stop of Dior's career.

Compared with the Warriors' small moves, the signings between the Lakers and the Cavaliers are shocking.

The Cavaliers and the Knicks reached a 1-for-1 deal, and they exchanged Love for Anthony without any extra head or draft pick.

This is a big bet for the Cavaliers.

The Knicks performed quite well last season, but Anthony's condition has declined significantly this season. After all, he is 33 years old and his peak period has basically passed. In exchange for an All-Star player at the age of 28 who is in his golden career, it is obviously a good deal.

On the Cavaliers, Love is important to the team, but in fact it is not so indispensable. In exchange for Anthony, James' friend, I look forward to the chemical reaction they have on the court, and on the other hand, it is also a response to the Lakers and Warriors.

The Cavaliers' deal is shocking enough, and the Lakers' deal is not bad at all.

After Cousins ​​fell out with Divac, he would basically not renew his contract with the team next summer. At this time, the Kings were anxious to take action, and his transaction value also decreased.

Kupchek extended a "helping hand" at this time, sending Batum and Noel, and the deal came with Cousins, Avraro, Ariza and the Kings' first-round draft picks in 2019.

After the transaction was completed, the Lakers announced the waive of Afflaro as the latter's contract was completely insured and the Lakers did not have to pay any salary for it.

In this way, the main players of this deal are Batum and Noel, in exchange for Cousins ​​and Ariza, as well as a 2019 first-round draft pick.

From a trading perspective, this transaction is very beneficial to the Lakers. Tang Shuai’s contract can be renewed in advance next year, while Ariza and Cousins’ contracts both expire next summer, which is very flexible in operation.

Ariza and Mike Dermott can basically replace Batum's role, and this transaction is equivalent to directly upgrading Nol to Cousins, making a big profit.

However, the hidden dangers of this deal are also very great. Cousins' personality problem. Whether he can play calmly when he comes to the Lakers and whether he can accept becoming the third leader outside of Shuai Tang and Westbrook is all a big question mark.

Obviously, this was another big bet by Kupchek, and it was carefully considered.

Tang Shuai learned the news at his villa. Although he was surprised, he did not show too much surprise. Billups talked to them about that topic, but in fact he gave them vaccinations in advance.

And to go further, this deal is inseparable from him and the team's recent performance.

The Cavaliers traded because of their fear of the Lakers and the Warriors. The Lakers' starting point is the same. The team's recent poor performance has made them eager to make changes.

"DeMarcus..." Tang Shuai looked at Cousins' face with a bitter and revengeful face in the news, and couldn't help but feel a headache.

In his more than two years of his career, the star who will join the team next will probably be the most difficult one to get along with.

The most important thing is that he will get angry from time to time when he is on the court. If this kind of player calms down, he will be the real version of O'Neal. If he gets angry, he is actually not as useful as a Kwame Brown, let alone Noel.

He put down Duffy's tablet, got up and called Westbrook. The team had changed so much that he needed to talk to another team core.

To his surprise, Westbrook seemed a little excited after learning that it was Cousins ​​who was traded, and even looked forward to the combination of the three of them.

After putting down the phone, Tang Shuai remembered that Westbrook and Cousins ​​were actually very similar from a certain perspective.

"Dang, actually, I think Lance should be more difficult to get along with than DeMarcus, right? Aren't you getting along well with a good relationship?" Duffy looked at Tang Shuai with a sad face and said with a smile.

"Go, that's different." Tang Shuai knew that Duffy was joking with him, and waved his hand as he said.

Stephenson is more funny, but from the depth of his personality, he longs to be recognized. Because Tang Shuai recognized him, he blocked Tang Shuai's close friends. But Cousins ​​is different. It is a paranoid. It is not easy for you to let him do what you think.

"Forget it, I'd better call Nicholas and Norrens first." Tang Shuai said and picked up his cell phone again.

Although they only played for the Lakers for one and a half seasons together, as the core of the team, the scene of their team entering the playoffs together last season is still vivid in their minds, and several people get along well. Now that they are traded, he feels a little reluctant to leave.

Batum was very calm. After all, he had been in the league for ten years and had long been used to trading. However, Noel seemed very depressed.

Actually, it’s normal to think about it. I just signed a big contract with you this offseason and said that I would treat you as the core of the team building, but I would trade you right away. If anyone else was there, I wouldn’t feel good.

Tang Shuai didn't know what to say, but just comforted him and persuaded him to have a better development prospect when the Kings team came to the Kings.

After a while of persuasion, it seemed that the desired effect was not achieved, and Tang Shuai hung up the phone helplessly.

This night was not an easy night for the Lakers players.

During the team training class the next day, Tang Shuai met Batum and Noel. After saying goodbye one by one, the team officially attracted the era of the Big Three.

Because the physical examination was very fast, Cousins ​​and Ariza arrived at the team that afternoon.

"Hey, everyone!" Cousins ​​seemed to be in a very good mood. When he saw his new teammate, he moved his tower-like body and said hello directly.

He should be in a good mood. From a team that has not been able to enter the playoffs for several years to a team with the strength of the championship, he should wake up in his dreams.

"Hey, DeMarcus." Tang Shuai stepped forward to greet him, and Cousins ​​laughed and gave him a hug.

Compared to Norr, Cousins' body obviously has a much stronger body. If it weren't for his personality, this would definitely be a copy of O'Neal.

After Yiyi greeted his teammates, the violent center will officially join the Lakers' family.

"Trevo, welcome." Cousins ​​said hello to other teammates. When he saw Ariza, he walked straight over and said hello.

"Hey, Tang, long time no see." He came to the team with Cousins ​​to report that he had already been ready to be left aside. Now Tang Shuai came to say hello, and he was immediately flattered.

"Let's go, I'll take you over to meet the players." Tang Shuai's earliest memory of Ariza was when he first went to the NBA to try out for the Rockets. Ariza easily defended him. Now more than two years have passed, and no one would have thought that they would be teammates one day, and their status in the league has changed so much.

Ariza is now 32 years old. He is making a living by defending and his pace has slowed down a lot of shooting, and his projection has also dropped a lot. Even in the King, he can only be a substitute. In this transaction of Cousins, his actual function is only to balance his salary.

Both teammates reported that Billups and Xiao Shan arrived late and arrived at the scene. After a brief introduction, they directly started the team training.

Cousins ​​showed his dominance in the team's training. Gasol, Yi Jianlian, and Zubac could not withstand his attack at all. In terms of strength alone, Cousins ​​is indeed one level better than Nor.

However, everyone knows that strength is not the point of the problem. The key is whether he can make positive contributions to the team when he is on the court.

On February 24, US time, two days after the trading deadline, the Lakers ushered in the home game against the Knicks.

This game was Cousins' first official game for the Lakers, and he was also Love's representative of the Knicks. The two new players, corresponding to the two teams, attracted enough attention to the game.

The Staples Center Staples was crowded on this day, and fans came to the stadium early to witness such a showdown.

ps: Thank you to Bingyi from the South for 20,000 rewards!

(To be continued.)
Chapter completed!