In what could possibly be the biggest trade of the season, the Sacramento Kings have agreed to ship All Star center DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans. News of the trade was announced on Sunday shortly after the 2017 All Star game.
In addition to Cousins, the Kings will also be sending swingman Omri Casspi to the Pelicans. The Pelicans, on the other hand, will be sending Tyreke Evans, Buddy Heild, Langston Galloway, a 2017 1st round pick, and a 2017 2nd round pick to Sacramento. According to ESPN, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive's admiration for Buddy Heild was one of the driving forces that made the trade possible. Ranadive believes that Heild has the potential to become as good as Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry.
Heild has been inconsistent in his rookie season and has not lived up to the expectations set upon him after being viewed as one of the nation's top players during his senior year in Oklahoma. He is averaging only 8.6 points per game this season, but has shown some flashes of brilliance at times, including a season high 21 points.
Cousins is averaging 27.8 points and 10.6 rebounds this season. With his trade to the Pelicans, Cousins will be sharing the front court with superstar Anthony Davis who is averaging 27.7 points and 11.9 rebounds this year for New Orleans. This also marks the first time since 1997-1998 that a team has two players averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. The last duo to accomplish this feat was Tim Duncan and David Robinson.
Cousins served a one-game suspension after acquiring his 17th technical foul for the season. The suspension was served prior to the trade. The three-time All Star will now be at risk of earning a suspension for every other technical he gets for the remainder of the regular season. In a statement posted on NBA.com, Kings general manager Vlade Divac believes that Cousins was not a right fit for what they are trying to do in Sacramento.
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