New Orleans Pelicans: Best and Worst Transactions of the Last 3 Years
The New Orleans Pelicans’ recent history of transactions has been all over the place, with some savvy signings and trades but also a few head scratchers.
Over the last three years, the New Orleans Pelicans have discovered that transactions are a lot like time travel: You never know how one decision will affect the future.
On February 20, 2017 the Pelicans made what would be a disastrous trade for DeMarcus Cousins.
They were trying to add talent around Anthony Davis, so traded Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, Buddy Hield and a 2017 1st and 2nd round pick for the mercurial Cousins.
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Those picks ended up being Jason Collins and Frank Mason III respectively.
Cousins had a few big games for the Pelicans but never really worked with Davis and then had to have season-ending surgery. The Pelicans gave up a ton for basically nothing in return.
The New Orleans Pelicans got fleeced, there is no other way to put it, and if they had to do it over again, surely they wouldn’t make that trade. Or would they?
This terrible trade had a ripple effect that led to the Davis trade, the historic haul from the Lakers, a rebuilding year and eventually, Zion Williamson.
The Cousins trade was absurd in retrospect, but the New Orleans Pelicans ended up winning in the end, as they have the next face of the NBA and a talented young core that is the envy of most of the league.
Past decisions impact the future of the team and it’s still unclear how some of the transactions over the last three years will ultimately affect the New Orleans Pelicans.
With the gift of hindsight, we’ll take a look back at the best and worst transactions of the last three years and how they might affect the future of the franchise.