In the blink of an eye, the curtain of the free market came to an end.

Aldridge joined the Spurs for 84.1 million in 4 years;

Leonard signs a 5-year, $90 million contract extension with the Spurs;

Reggie Jackson re-signs with Pistons for 5 years and 80 million;

Dragic re-signs with Heat for 5 years and 86 million;

Draymond Green re-signs with Warriors for 5 years and 85 million;

Brandon signs a 5-year, $70 million contract extension with the Suns;

…

Compared with Durant joining the Nets, these actions did not cause much waves.

However, Durant joining the Nets will have subsequent consequences.

Because the league received reports from many teams that the Nets had private contact with Durant before the free market opened.

But such reports went nowhere.

Because Durant is under contract before the free market opens, he will only be considered a free agent after he opts out of his contract.

Moreover, the deal between the Nets and Thunder was not reached as soon as the free market opened.

These factors ultimately led the alliance to abandon the investigation...

Of course, even if the truth is slapped on the face, some people will still question it.

Although they may be right to question this time, there is no evidence!

And just before they could calm down, another signing by the Nets once again made fans furious.

David West jumped out of the last year's player option with the Pacers, worth 12 million, and signed a one-year, 3 million contract with the Nets!

Then, this triggered heated discussions among fans, and the Nets were reported again.

This time the league announced an investigation in a high-profile manner.

Because this involves another sensitive word: Yin-Yang contract.

The yin and yang contract between the Timberwolves and Joe Smith was severely punished, which was also the reason why the Timberwolves were unable to recover.

If the Nets really do the same thing, they will face heavy penalties.

Moreover, the alliance’s nominal reasons for investigation are also very sufficient.

Who would give up a 12 million contract and sign a 3 million contract?

Even if it is to compete for the championship, there is a limit.

However, the results of the investigation showed that there is really nothing fishy about it.

Because West is really here to win the championship!

In fact, West had been in contact with the Spurs before this.

But the Nets showed greater sincerity. Walken Dean called West many times to persuade him, and then West was signed.

And not long after West signed, the deal between the Nets and the Lakers was officially announced.

The Nets signed Chandler to a four-year, $52 million contract, and then sent him to the Lakers to get Ariza and Tim.

While other players have not yet been determined, the Nets' main lineup and core rotation for the new season have been basically determined.

: Bradley, Ariza, Durant, Lin Ying, Jokic.

Rotation: JR, Covington, Turner, West, Mahinmi.

Moreover, after the Nets have made these operations, theoretically they still have 11 million salary space to work with, and then there is a mini-middle class.

This is really what the whole league is watching as Walken Dean shows off his skills.

Despite the fact that Walken Dean is having a hard time squatting in the general manager's office, other teams in the league are looking at him with eyes wide open.

This kind of opportunity is hard to come by and cannot be envied.

Just as the free agent market is coming to an end, the Nets' last few signings have been reached one after another.

The biggest one concerns the point guard.

The Nets did not renew the contract of veteran Barbosa, but reached a four-year, 30 million contract with Spurs guard Corey Joseph.

This signing is a bit surprising, because Joseph's performance with the Spurs was not very outstanding, and his three-point shooting was not stable, but his salary is close to Ariza and Bradley's.

However, Joseph has what Warken Dean values, defense and stability. Joseph's defense is above the league level, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is very high.

The Nets already have JR on the bench, so the substitute point guard needs to be relatively stable and reliable.

Of course, another thing that will be overlooked is that Joseph also graduated from the University of Texas!

Warken Dean likes this about the University of Texas players, and they have had a blowout season!

Counting Joseph, Lin Ying, Durant, and Augustin, there are already 4!

Of the last three spots, one was given to Chris Anderson by Walken Dean, one was given to "Old Prince" Prince, and the last one was given to Seth Curry.

Anderson is Karl's favorite inside man, and he has worked conscientiously as the third center for the Nets in the past few years.

Prince's contract with the Knicks has just expired and he is a veteran chasing a championship.

Seth Curry's words were an unexpected signing, because Walken Dean had a tryout at the end and was deeply impressed by Curry's three-point performance.

After the rotation lineup is basically decided, what the bench needs are functional players.

What Lin Ying and Durant need most is someone who can shoot three-pointers.

Moreover, the Nets signed Curry to a two-year, 2 million base salary contract, so the risk is very low. As long as Curry can provide some help at certain specific moments, they will make money.

In this way, Walken Dean quickly cut through the mess and quickly determined the Nets' lineup.

Point Guard: Bradley, Corey Joseph, Dinwiddie

Shooting Guard: Ariza, JR, Seth Curry

Small forward: Durant, Covington/Turner, Prince

Front: Lin Ying, David West

Center: Jokic, Mahinmi, Chris Anderson

This lineup has super giants, 3D, scoring masters, three-point shooters, basically everything you can think of.

Moreover, many of the forwards can swing at the third and fourth positions, which is very consistent with the team building requirements of the old Karl.

Even in terms of salary, this lineup is just over 90 million. The luxury tax for the new season is 80 million, which is only 10 million over the cap.

In addition, many of these contracts are long-term contracts with high cost performance, and the lineup is also very stable.

It can be said that Walken Dean put a lot of effort into creating this lineup, but of course he was basically exhausted.

After living in the office for so long, and it was not just a matter of making phone calls, he also arranged a lot of trial training. Curry and Joseph were both signed by him after the trial.

He needs to rest for a while before he can recover.

…

One week after the free market ended, the Nets held a press conference for new players.

Last year's Nets press conference was quite a battle, and this year it's going to be even bigger.

Lin Ying, Durant, Ariza, Corey Joseph, David West, Seth Curry, Prince, this is half the team.

As for why Lin Ying came?

He broke out of his contract and signed a new contract with the Nets, which can also be a "new aid".

Of course, this was optional, but Lin Ying came to support Durant. He was afraid that someone at the press conference would cause trouble for Durant.

After all, this is New York, and not to mention those from ESPN, even the local New York media likes to cause trouble.

Facts also proved that Lin Ying guessed...half of it right.

Durant has indeed become the focus of the press conference, because compared to "old acquaintance" Lin Ying, Durant is a serious new aid.

But they didn't have much media trouble with Durant.

On the contrary, the atmosphere of the press conference was even somewhat relaxed and cheerful.

Beyond what fans have said in their clamor on social media, there's a context that's easily overlooked.

Lin Ying and Durant are both considered "losers" now.

Gu Mi/span> Lin Ying [Isolated and helpless], tried his best last season but failed to defeat the four All-Star Cavaliers.

Many fans who watched that series felt it was unfair.

Durant was a "lone hero" last season. He contributed to the tiebreaker in two rounds, and finally ended up being reimbursed for the season in the tiebreaker.

The combination of these two people has a strong impact on people, but it is completely different from the original concept of the Knicks' Big Three.

This also shows that those who criticize Durant on social media are most likely Cavaliers fans.
To be continued...