In a stunning move, the New Orleans Pelicans traded Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway, Tyreke Evans and a first-rounder to Sacramento for DeMarcus Cousins.
New Orleans Pelicans fans are quickly finding out just how crazy the NBA Trade Deadline can get.
Right after the NBA All-Star Game, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical dropped a bombshell on the league.
Sacramento has agreed to trade DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans, league source tells @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 20, 2017
Yes, you read that correctly. The New Orleans Pelicans have traded for DeMarcus Cousins. Here, let’s give the readers a chance to catch their breathes…
All good? Good.
New Orleans will trade rookie Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway, Tyreke Evans, the Pels’ 2017 first round pick and 2017 second round pick to Sacramento. In exchange, the Pelicans will get DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi from the Kings.
One Word: WOW.
The New Orleans Pelicans have been searching for a true second star next to Anthony Davis and now finally have it. Cousins was a force in Sacramento, putting up 27.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Boogie also shoots 45.2% from the field and 35.6% from behind the three-point line.
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Is it sad to see Hield, Galloway and Evans go? Absolutely. Hield was starting to show just what a model he could be for the team. Putting in fantastic work, to improve his game and his defense. It will be tough, but the time he will get on the Kings and their high praise of him could be better for his development.
Tyreke Evans will finally get a chance on a new team. Evans tried to make it work in New Orleans, yet it never panned out. He can be a game changing player when he’s 100%, but he is not in position to do that this year. A fresh start could not be a better situation for him
For Galloway, this is a tough spot. Langston at one point this year was making a case for an appearance in the three-point contest. Now, he will likely find himself looking for an NBA gig once again. However, this is a league that’s always looking for shooters. He’ll find a team and a role to fill.
With all that being said, the New Orleans Pelicans now have DeMarcus Cousins. That alone is going to change the game for this team. Boogie is a true center, that can be paired alongside his Kentucky comrade. It’s a duo the entire league will have to figure out how to counteract. While some teams are going smaller, New Orleans went bigger.
Much Bigger.
This is a time to celebrate for the city of New Orleans. Many have questioned if the Pelicans have a real plan to contend in the near future. The trio of Davis, Boogie and Jrue Holiday is a pretty fantastic place to start, even without the first round pick. Things are certainly on the rise by the Bayou.
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We here at Pelican Debrief want to send our best wishes to Tyreke Evans, Buddy Hield and Langston Galloway for their time in New Orleans. All three were class acts for the franchise and represented the city with pride. They will be missed. For DeMarcus Cousins, we here want to welcome you to New Orleans. The future of New Orleans Pelicans basketball is going to be a fun, exciting and entertaining extravaganza. Can not wait to have you along for the ride, Boogie.