NBA Trade Rumors: Is a DeMarcus Cousins-Hassan Whiteside swap viable?
NBA Trade Rumors: Would a DeMarcus Cousins for Hassan Whiteside swap work for the New Orleans Pelicans and Miami Heat?
It is fascinating to see how the New Orleans Pelicans have thrived since losing DeMarcus Cousins to a season-ending injury. After Boogie went down with a torn Achilles in January, the Pelicans were expected to falter. Anthony Davis was back as the team’s lone superstar.
However, what happened since then was the exact opposite. The Pelicans went on a 21-13 tear, securing the West’s sixth playoffs spot as a result. Some thought that merely qualifying for the postseason was already an accomplishment for head coach Alvin Gentry’s side. However, the team evidently had more in mind.
Led by Davis, New Orleans swept the highly-favored Portland Trail Blazers. The five-time All-Star thrived with his new sidekick, point guard Jrue Holiday, in the first round. If the Pelicans again fare well against the Golden State Warriors in the next round, then rumors that the team might let go of Cousins in the offseason would surely become louder.
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The 27-year-old Cousins will enter unrestricted free agency this summer and he is expected to receive a max salary extension. However, because of his injury and the way the Pelicans had flourished without him, ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently explored the possibility of a sign-and-trade deal involving Cousins this summer.
Potential Cousins-Whiteside trade
In his article, one of the teams Lowe linked to Cousins is the Miami Heat. Right now, the South Florida squad are also having issues with their own big man, Hassan Whiteside.
Whiteside was a disappointment for the Heat and its fans during their first-round series loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. During the series, he seemingly lacked the desire to compete whenever he was on the floor.
Ex-Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott had recently slammed Whiteside. In an episode of ESPN’s The Jump, Scott told host Rachel Nichols that the former NBA rebounding and blocks leader should “grow up” and stop blaming his lack of minutes as the reason for his bad performance.
Lowe noted that “Whiteside’s trade value has fallen so low” at this time. He said that the Pelicans might not even consider trading Cousins for him despite the latter’s injury.
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Cousins’ post-injury health and effectiveness are clearly factors that Miami would look into if they do decide to go after him in the offseason. Cousins is perhaps the superstar draw Heat president Pat Riley is looking for all these time. However, it may be too big of a risk to take for the rebuilding team.