The Pelicans' four stars had already begun training. For them, the new season was a season they were determined to win.
Even compared to the Warriors' four stars, it was not enough to say that failing to win the championship meant failure. If they did not crush their opponents into a psychological shadow and drive down the ratings, that would be failure.
So despite how strong the roster was, the pressure on every one of them was considerable.
While Tang Tian and the others trained, Dempsey had not been idle either.
After completing trades and signings one after another, the Pelicans still had the following players.
Point guard: Walker, Brogdon
Shooting guard: Tang Tian
Small forward: Butler, Bojan, Siakam
Power forward: Davis, Kuzma
Center: Harrell, Thomas Bryant
There were ten Guaranteed Contracts on the roster. Aside from the veteran David West and Diop, who would most likely be re-signed, there were still three remaining spots.
And among those three spots, although they had exceeded the Salary Cap, they had not crossed the luxury tax line, so they would have the Full Mid-Level Exception.
Because the Salary Cap had risen, this year's Full Mid-Level Exception had increased substantially from last year.
Last year, it had been around $5.6 million, while this year it could reach $8.4 million.
For the Pelicans, who had traded away much of their rotation, this was undoubtedly the best possible news.
According to the rules, they could use the Full Mid-Level Exception to sign free agents, with contracts no longer than four years and annual raises no greater than 5%.
They could also split it among multiple players, with the same restrictions on contract length and raises.
The only not-so-good news was that there were not many players left on the Free Agency Market, leaving them with