NBA Trade Deadline 2018: 5 teams that should be buying at the deadline

3. New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans’ season outlook took a turn for the worse Friday when DeMarcus Cousins suffered a ruptured left Achilles tendon in the waning moments of a 115-113 victory over the Houston Rockets.

New Orleans’ decision to veer away from small-ball by pairing Cousins with Anthony Davis was paying dividends in recent weeks, as they were the only pair of teammates in NBA history to average at least 25 points and 10 rebounds prior to the former’s injury. With Cousins now done for the year, head coach Alvin Gentry must find a way to keep the Pelicans competitive whenever Davis takes a breather on the bench, as the team has been horrendous to date whenever both Cousins and Davis sat.

The Pelicans are hoping to get internal reinforcements in the coming weeks when Tony Allen and Solomon Hill return from their respective injuries, according to Brett Martel of the Associated Press, but that isn’t preventing them from exploring the trade market. Both Martell and Scott Kushner of the Advocate reported New Orleans is being “aggressive” heading into the trade deadline in the wake of Cousins’ injury, as it still fancies itself a playoff contender even without one of its two best players.

On Tuesday, Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago reported the Pelicans would be sending Omer Asik and a first-round pick to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Nikola Mirotic, but those talks hit a snag before becoming finalized, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. With both head coach Alvin Gentry and general manager Dell Demps perhaps fighting for their respective jobs, it appears as though they plan on going down swinging by adding to their roster ahead of the trade deadline.

Next: 2. Milwaukee Bucks