4 Biggest Potential Rivalries for the New Orleans Pelicans

The Sacramento Kings

All-Time Series (60 games): New Orleans Pelicans 36-24

The New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings will always have a connection because of the DeMarcus Cousins trade that sent Buddy Hield to the Kings.

But there are several other reasons they could become heated rivals over the next few seasons.

They are close in the standings. The Kings and New Orleans Pelicans were tied for the 9th seed when play was suspended. They only played one game this season, which the Pelicans won, but the last two were sure to be must-watch TV after an exciting first matchup.

The Pelicans and Kings are on a similar trajectory in success and age, as both teams are young and just starting to get good, so they should be battling for playoff position for years to come.

Both teams have young, exciting stars in De’Aaron Fox and Zion Williamson and both have that small market chip on their shoulder.

Teams that are largely ignored nationally (outside of the daily Zion coverage) often form rivalries because no one else is paying attention. This is especially true in the fan bases, where fanatics will argue to the Twitter death about which is the better small market team.

Fans of the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings should have plenty to fight about, let’s hope the players can match their intensity.