Boogie to the Pelicans; Steal or Robbery?

In a trade that can be described as huge, as far as impact and how much was involved, Demarcus Cousins is on his way to New Orleans. This is a trade that will be one-sided, one way or another. 

The deal in question sends Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, and a future first and second rounder to the Kings, for dominant big man Demarcus Cousins and forward Omri Casspi. The Kings have actively been shopping Cousins, and the Pelicans decided to pay a big price tag to buy in.

In six years with the Kings, Cousins averaged 20.2 points per game, 1.2 blocks per game, and 10.8 rebounds per game over 415 games played. During this time, Cousins has been widely touted as the most talented center in the league. 

Despite this talent, Cousins has not managed to lead the Kings to a single winning season and was in the midst of another losing season this year. Cousins has been criticized for his off-court personality during this run as well. His hot temper has come out and ruined some clutch moments for him.

Buddy Hield was drafted with the 6th overall pick from Oklahoma this year to fill the Pelicans need for a spot up shooter. Over the course of the season,  Hield has averaged 8.6 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game, and 1.4 assists per game. 

Tyreke Evans played for the Kings for four years before spending three in New Orleans. Over his career, he has averaged 16.7 points per game, 5.3 assists per game, and 4.9 rebounds per game. Despite injury troubles, Evans is viewed as a very talented hybrid player. 

Galloway hadn’t been with the Pelicans for very long, having signed on to the team in July of 2016, but he was viewed as a solid role player. He has averaged 9.1 points per game, 2.8 assists per game, and 3.8 rebounds per game. Details on the two future picks are yet to be released.

Other teams were involved in trade talks for Cousins, including the Los Angeles Lakers. Those teams found the price tag on Cousins too high, but New Orleans went above and beyond for him. Now they have two dominant big men, but are somewhat weakened at the shooting guard position and are two picks poorer.

The question is, who wins this trade? On one hand, you get Anthony Davis and Demarcus Cousins wreaking havoc. On the other you have high potential in Buddy Hield, an athletically talented Tyreke Evans, a decent role player in Langston Galloway, and picks to build for the future. Star power versus depth and potential. This could be argued for either side.

You could say New Orleans overpaid, or you could say Sacramento didn’t demand enough. For now, no one is wrong, and we might not find that out this season, or even next season. It depends on how that potential New Orleans gave away grows.

This trade can be described as only one thing; huge. I can not safely describe this as a good trade, bad trade, even, or one-sided. We will see how this unfolds next year and beyond. Stay tuned, NBA fans.