THE other day I noticed that I was close to writing my 100th blog post, but I didn’t predict that the post would be regarding a landscape changing NBA trade. As Anthony Davis was taking photos with his shiny new MVP trophy, after a West All-Stars 192-182 win over the East All-Stars, he quickly became old news. The New Orleans Pelicans had traded for DeMarcus Cousins.

DETAILS of the trade were still taking shape at the time, but I can now confirm that the Sacramento Kings are sending the 3x All-Star in Cousins and Omri Casspi in exchange for rookie guard Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, the Pelicans 2017 1st round pick and a 2019 second round pick that belongs to the 76ers.

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THERE is no doubt that the Kings got absolutely ROBBED in this deal. Essentially they turned one of the best 15 players in the NBA into a rookie spot up shooter, a guy whom they already let walk once, a first round pick (likely to be in the late teens, low twenties) and a few other throw away pieces. Gross. Vivek Ranadive and Vlade Divac are going to wake up in Bourbon Street tomorrow, with their clothes stained from Hurricanes and regret this big time. In arguably the biggest trade since Carmelo joined the Knicks in 2011, you would think the Kings would get some decent pieces back in return. They will have to settle for Hield and a potential good pick in this draft for perhaps the best big man in the league.

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NO doubt the biggest winner of this deal is DeMarcus Cousins. He gets the fresh start he so desperately needed and he will pair up with Anthony Davis in what is now the NBA’s best frontcourt. The Pelicans have a much greater chance of experiencing playoff success buoyed by their two All-Star bigs, with the potential to cause some headaches in the postseason now. But can the hot headed hero finally settle down and contribute in a positive way to a locker room? I am one of the few people who has consistently said that in another environment Cousins would thrive and now my words will be put to the test. Worst case scenario for New Orleans if their experiment fails, Cousins is a free agent at the end of next season and they can move on from him and almost be back in the same position they were before the trade. I have a feeling that Boogie is going to thrive though. They added an MVP calibre player who can dominate the game and paired him with and MVP calibre player who can dominate the game. We should all be afraid.

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