"I heard Tony's contract extension talks with the Spurs had run into problems."
At Tang Tian's estate, Dempsey looked troubled.
Durant had signed with the Lakers, and he had made that decision after Walker and Butler had both committed to new teams. The Pelicans had been thoroughly screwed over.
But with things having come to this, he could only continue making the final adjustments to the roster.
After signing Jeff Green, the Pelicans only needed to find one more veteran point guard.
The player he was talking about was Parker.
Parker was no longer young, and he had not played well last season, but he was still an FMVP. A starving camel was still bigger than a horse.
Besides, he and Tang Tian had been former teammates.
"Tony can still play. If he comes here, he can also mentor Alexander."
Tang Tian strongly approved of Dempsey's choice.
He knew that, in the original history, Parker had gone to the Hornets for a year this season and still had plenty left in the tank.
With Tang Tian's approval, Dempsey quickly got in touch with Parker.
Within a couple of days, the two sides reached a two-year, $12 million contract, with a Player option in the second year.
After Walker and Butler left, the Pelicans had plenty of cap space for the new season and were not stingy with signings.
With this deal completed, Parker, who had spent his first seventeen seasons with the Spurs, joined the Pelicans in his eighteenth year.
According to information that later came out, the person responsible for all this was Popovich.
The old man had hoped Parker would take on a mentor role late in his career, with his Playing Time further reduced and his contract cut down to a veteran minimum.
But Parker did not