The DeMarcus Cousins trade means several other players could be on the move
When the Sacramento Kings dealt DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans, it affected the Pelicans more than any other team. For every concern about Cousins, there’s no denying that he’s an All-NBA caliber center. He and Anthony Davis now form the most talented power forward/center duo in the NBA. In the short term, as Alvin Gentry looks to rejigger the team’s identity, everything for New Orleans has to come together in time for the Pelicans to make up a 2.5 game deficit for the eighth seed. As for Cousins, this is a chance for him to rewrite his narrative. He can now be something more than a bombastic, talented-but-toxic, culture-destroying star.
But this trade also impacts a few peripheral players moved and displaced as a result of this trade. Depending on how both the Kings and Pelicans approach the next few days, several players could find new homes. On a smaller scale than Cousins, they could change their future. Here is a look at some of the most interesting cases.
Tyreke Evans and Langston Galloway
Evans, in a cruel twist of fate, is back where he started his NBA career. At 27, Evans and the Kings aren’t best served to restart this relationship. And for all his flaws, Evans could be a useful player for a playoff-caliber team. He has skill as a ball handler, can play a few spots on the wing and would benefit from being on a team with better talent than the Pelicans or Kings. The Cavs and the Wizards stand out as possible options.
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Two problems: He’s still on a minutes restriction and Sacramento reportedly plans on keeping him, at least for now. But with free agency looming, Evans is probably best served getting out of Sacramento and signing somewhere he can showcase his talent. The Kings aren’t the team for that.
A lot of the same logic applies to Galloway and he might be more useful than Evans considering his health. He’s not quite as big, but would be of more use to a playoff team than he will be the Kings.
Matt Barnes
Is this the end for Matt Barnes? To complete the Cousins trade, the Kings had to waive Barnes. According to reports, Barnes was already on thin ice because of the nightclub incident he and Cousins got into a few months back. And because Barnes isn’t an uber-star big man, it’s harder to ignore off the court issues.
Barnes might still be attractive to a team in need of a veteran stopgap player on the wing (send up the Bat signal for Doc Rivers and the Clippers), but that’s it. No team should actually go near Barnes. He’s 36, has a history of behavioral issues and his best skill is that teammates like him. It might be time to let this story end.
Terrence Jones
Jones is reportedly on the trade block after the Cousins deal in a move both the team and Jones’ agent are pursuing. This makes sense — Jones is in a situation where he should play a lot and that won’t happen in New Orleans with Cousins now in town — and yet it doesn’t. Jones has been a pleasant surprise this year after he flamed out with the Houston Rockets. In about 25 minutes a night, he’s been a 11-point, 6-rebound player at the power forward spot. RPM doesn’t view him all that well, but even so, he’s been a productive player on an affordable deal.
One team he could make sense on: the Wizards. Andrew Nicholson has been a bust for Washington — he’s the fifth-worst power forward in the NBA according to RPM and has only appeared in 28 games after signing a four-year, $26 million deal. The Wiz desperately need bench help. Something like Marcus Thornton and a second-round pick for Jones could work if the Pelicans feel the need to deal Jones.
Quinn Cook
The D-League All-Star game MVP is on the Pelicans’ radar according to ESPNs Ramona Shelburne and for good reason. He’s been one of the best players in the D-League for the past year and a half and is overdue for a legit shot at the NBA. If he didn’t play at the league’s deepest position, he might have already gotten it.
What Cook could provide is quality backup point guard minutes behind (or with) Jrue Holiday and Tim Frazier. At 6-foot-2, Cook has decent size and he has an all-around skill set that should allow him to fill in well around two ball dominant bigs. He’s a solid off-ball shooter, moves well and has good court vision. He dribbles a bit too much and overdoes it sometimes for the Canton Charge, but it stands to reason that those issues would go away when he isn’t asked to initiate everything.
He also spent the preseason with New Orleans, so the Pelicans are familiar with him. Assuming he gets his shot, it’s one deserved and overdue.
Ben McLemore, Darren Collison and Kosta Koufos
When the Kings dealt Cousins, it meant that they might be attempting to commit full on to tanking and rebuilding. Where that to happen, McLemore, Collison and Koufos would logical candidates to deal.
McLemore would have the highest upside of the group considering his age, but he’s headed for an new contract and has been inconsistent at best. Collison — if a team can justify adding him considering his history of domestic violence — is an expiring contract. He’s also one of the better backup point guard options available. Koufos — signed by the Kings because he was so useful with George Karl in Denver — is on a cheap contract as well. He could be a decent backup big on a team in a need of bodies.
Next: Pelicans luck into superstar core with DeMarcus Cousins trade
Teams like the Clippers, Cavs and Wizards — i.e. good teams in need of useful players — should all be calling Sacramento in hopes of landing one or more of these players. All can probably be had at a low cost. And while not as impactful as Cousins, any of the players on this list could make a difference provided they end up in the right situation. The trick is making that happen.