Our first big trade before the trade deadline is a huge one. It brings arguably the best center in the league, in Demarcus Cousins, to the New Orleans Pelicans, who have the best power forward in the league, in Anthony Davis. The Sacramento Kings, Cousins’ former team, are receiving Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway, and Tyreke Evans, in addition to two picks in upcoming drafts. Let’s look at this shocking trade from both sides.
For the Pelicans, they just got a top 10 player, and gave up very little. They now have the two best big men in the league, each averaging around 27 and 11. So the Pelicans frontcourt is settled. But what about the backcourt? After this trade, the Pelicans only have three guards on their roster: Tim Frazier, Jrue Holiday, and E’Twaun Moore. It has been reported, though, that the Pelicans front office is looking to trade Terrence Jones from another solid guard. It will be interesting to see how Cousins and Davis can play together. Neither have ever played together, although they were both Kentucky Wildcats, but not at the same time. There are not many teams with two exceptional big men, so it might be something we have not seen in awhile. Many Pelicans fans have been pleading the front office to get Davis some help, and this might be the move that can push them into that 8th seed, as teams are going to find it tough to stop both Demarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis.
For the Kings, the same question is going through most people’s minds: What were you thinking? It seems they are trying to start rebuilding, but they could have gotten more for Demarcus Cousins. The Kings organisation did not want to have to deal with Cousins, who led the league in technicals, and also got a suspension for it. In return for Cousins, they got a few new players. One was Tyreke Evans, who has had three knee surgeries in the past 18 months, and seems to be fading in the NBA. Second was Langston Galloway, a decent but nowhere close to All-Star caliber player. Lastly is Buddy Hield, who the owner is reportedly very fond of, but Hield has not produced as much has people thought he would. The Kings owner has also said that Hield has the potential of 2-time MVP Stephen Curry, but it certainly does not look that way.
The Kings definitely lost this trade, showing another low point in a frustrating season. As for the Pelicans, we are going to find out whether Anthony Davis and Demarcus Cousins can play well enough to make the their team a dark horse in the playoffs.
Hoops From The Stands 