New Orleans Pelicans: Will DeMarcus Cousins be the next star traded?

With a ton of uncertainty ahead, will the New Orleans Pelicans elect to trade DeMarcus Cousins before he gets a chance to hit free agency next summer?

A quarter of the 2017-18 season has already passed and we have a pretty good idea about the chemistry, the needs, the strengths and the weaknesses of every NBA team. Some squads need to add talent to their roster and some will see improvement by subtraction.

That is exactly what happened, the last time this superstar changed teams – you guessed it right, we are indeed talking about DeMarcus Cousins.

The New Orleans Pelicans were believed to have committed highway robbery last season when they acquired the All-Star center for rotation players like Tyreke Evans, Buddy Hield, Omri Casspi and Langston Galloway plus a couple of draft picks.

Even though critics have expressed their doubts about the pairing of Cousins with rising superstar Anthony Davis, the team’s officials were adamant that coach Alvin Gentry would make it work.

Truth be told, DeMarcus Cousins is posting some solid numbers this year. He’s the team’s best scorer, rebounder and stealer with 27.1 points, 13.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Furthermore, his assists per game have skyrocketed to 5.6 per game while blocking1.5 shots per contest.

The real problem is when you go past the numbers. The Pelicans are problematic on offense where spacing is simply non-existent. The team is deprived of shooters so the dynamic duo of Davis – Cousins finds a wall of enemy bodies protecting the basket. Cousins is attempting a career high 7.3 3-pointers per game at a 34 percent conversion rate. There is no point having a dominant big guy when he is obliged to shoot from downtown all the time, is it?

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The icing on the cake is that DeMarcus Cousins is on an expiring contract. If (when?) the Pelicans miss the playoffs, it becomes likely he will look elsewhere for wins and post-season glory. There is no reason for the New Orleans’ front office not to shop him around now, when there is still time to get something in return. Any move though, will have to come with Cousins’ approval and his agreement to re-sign, otherwise it will be a half-season rental for any team that tries to acquire him.

So where does DeMarcus Cousins get traded to?

My first choice would be the Dallas Mavericks. They have an excellent defensive big in Nerlens Noel that can cover for Cousins in the least glorious half of the court. Maybe the Mavs can further sweeten the deal by including sharpshooter Seth Curry and a future draft pick. That is a trade the Pelicans can not refuse and it will mark an absolutely remarkable improvement for the Texans since Noel is obviously having trouble blending with coach Rick Carlisle.

Another possible destination for Cousins could be the Eastern Conference Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is more than obvious that the Cavs are in “win-now” mode and they will do everything within their power to persuade LeBron James to stay past next summer. Cleveland is not performing well at the moment and a trade may be imminent. A straight trade for Kevin Love could make it work for both franchises. The Cavs find a younger two-way player while the Pelicans get a shooting big man who has proven that is comfortable playing second fiddle.

There are a lot franchises willing to sit at the trade table with the Pelicans to close a deal for DeMarcus Cousins. The Phoenix Suns may seem like an odd fit for Cousins at first glance. They are, after all, in a rebuilding phase and have just traded away their best player (Eric Bledsoe).

Nevertheless, the Suns are always looking for ways to speed things up and getting DMC would certainly count as a step in the right direction. He is young enough to fit the development timeline for their other core players like Devin Booker and Marquese Chriss and Phoenix has a ton of players to build a trade package with. Tyson Chandler would be a prime candidate to leave, followed by T.J. Warren and Brandon Knight.

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Warren is the bait here, while Chandler is involved for financial purposes. Brandon Knight is at such a low point in his career that he should be considered a low-stake bet by any team. Still, the deal is pretty fair considering New Orleans could lose DeMarcus Cousins for nothing come July 2018.

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