The NBA Kings last night traded DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi to the Pelicans for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and draft picks. With the move, the Kings essentially have "given up on making the playoffs" despite being a game and a half out of the final spot in the Western Conference. Kings VP/Basketball Operations & GM Vlade Divac "privately had promised Cousins and his agent that he would not trade him." For a team that "already has trouble getting top draft prospects to come in for workouts, the Kings could lose additional credibility with free agents" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 2/20). News of the trade "unfolded gradually Sunday afternoon as rumors distracted from All-Star Weekend's main event" in New Orleans (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 2/20).

For Pelicans Senior VP/Basketball Operations & GM Dell Demps, this move "will either make or break his career in New Orleans." One can "only assume that Demps and the Pelicans were given some kind of assurance from Cousins' agent, Jarinn Akana, that the big man will sign a long-term deal with the club" in '18 (NOLA.com, 2/20).

NASCAR's Advance Auto Parts Clash season-opening exhibition yesterday "rolled out before the smallest crowd for a big-league Daytona race in recent memory, an estimated 15,000." The event began at about 11:30am ET and was won by Joey Logano after being postponed from Saturday due to rain. Observers can "blame the rain-mandated rescheduling" or the fact that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in the "TV booth instead of his racecar." But it "wasn't a busy day at the ticket window, and that's always troubling for Speedway officials" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 2/20).

IMG College and USF will part ways when their multimedia rights contract ends on June 30. IMG has owned the rights at USF since '07. Neither side would comment, but sources said that several months of renewal talks did not produce an extension, prompting the rights holder to exit at the end of the current deal. American Athletic Conference member USF was the subject of Big 12 expansion talks last fall before the conference decided not add members. The USF athletic department reported $46M in total revenue for FY '15.

Meanwhile, Alderson "looks healthier and more robust than at any time since he was diagnosed with cancer" late in '15. He "says he feels fine, but declines to elaborate" (Bergen RECORD, 2/20).

About 6,000 people this weekend attended Topgolf Crush at Safeco Field, "essentially a pop-up version" of the Topgolf entertainment concept. Safeco is the first major sports facility to welcome the attraction, and Topgolf co-Chair & CEO Erik Anderson noted that it "certainly won't be the last, as the game will visit Camping World Stadium in Orlando in March" (SEATTLE TIMES, 2/20). SBJ last month reported on Topgolf's plans for its stadium tour.

The European Tour's inaugural ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth wrapped up this weekend featuring an experimental format. The event "more than justified its novelty," offering a "brisk pace to the entertainment." The initial 54 holes of stroke play produced a "24-man field for a final day of six-hole matches." Winner Brett Rumford said, "If it's going to grow the game with a bit more thrill about it ... as a tour we've done a great job" (GOLF WORLD, 2/20). Fox Sports' Shane Bacon said, "I can't imagine a single person looking at the format changes of the World Super 6 and seeing it as a negative to the game" (GOLF.com, 2/19).

Three people were injured yesterday when a "car flipped into a crowd" at Volusia Speedway in Florida. The incident occurred at about 9:30pm ET during World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series dirt races (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/20).

An above-capacity crowd of 14,059 attended yesterday's Penn State-Oklahoma State wrestling dual meet at Gallagher-Iba Arena, a "record crowd for any event" at the venue (TULSA WORLD, 2/20).
 
The Coyotes on Saturday night celebrated their 20th season in Arizona by hosting members of the inaugural '96-97 team at Gila River Arena, where they took part in a ceremonial puck drop "clad in the original Kachina-style jerseys." The Coyotes lost Saturday's game against the Sharks 4-1 (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/19).

To the original #Coyotes:

Thank you. #ARI20NA pic.twitter.com/63sPRln4pA

— #Yotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) February 19, 2017

Today is the 80th birthday of racing legend Roger Penske. Read SportsBusiness Journal’s '16 Champions profile of the Captain.

"This ship has sailed, it seems" – Budapest Government Commissioner for Major Developments and Olympic bid Chair Balzas Furjes, on the city's bid for the '24 Games (REUTERS, 2/20).

"It was intentional hyperbole to make a point: demonstrating the NFL's own shortcoming of how they are disconnecting with their fan base by allowing players to disrespect the U.S. flag" – Texas Gov. Greg Abbot's Press Secretary John Wittman, on Abbott saying that the state could mandate NFL players stand during the National Anthem if the league gets involved in state politics (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/21).

"We've been contacted by other folks who are interesting in acquiring an NHL team and want to know what we would do to this facility to modernize it" – Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, on reaction to his letter to the Islanders' owners about possibly relocating to the team to Hartford's XL Center (COURANT.com, 2/18).

"I talked about that with a couple other guys in the shop and we’re kind of not sure yet either" – NASCAR driver Chris Buescher, on how far regular-season wins or points carry into the playoff rounds under the sanctioning body's new points system (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 2/20).

The FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM went with the header, "Texas Should Not Jeopardize Major Events Over Potty Law." The state counts on concerts and sporting events to "open the doors at the Alamodome, NRG Stadium, AT&T Stadium and other locales." To lose them "over a toilet law that affects a fraction of a decimal point of the population is bad business."

The N.Y. TIMES examined Facebook data to determine whether white NBA players "have whiter fan bases and black players blacker fan bases." The findings: "Indeed, they do." The Times' research also found that if a white and a black player are "similar on paper, it is the black player who will have more fans." In fact, a white player "would have to score 10 more points per game to have as big a fan base on Facebook as he would have if he were black."

Also: 

• Mike Piazza works to lift his soccer club, Reggiana, "back to the top flight of Italian soccer."
• A "special set of circumstances" made the Manor F1 team attractive to buyer Tavo Hellmund.
• Russell Westbrook "has no bigger fan than Brenda Hawkins," a 60-year-old Oklahoma woman.
• The market for tickets to the NHL's outdoor games has "cooled considerably."
• A Pittsburgh startup's under-helmet caps have gotten "the attention of the NFL."
• Why new 49ers GM John Lynch opted to swap "serenity for stress."
• Reflecting on "warm memories" at RFK Stadium, which will soon "have no tenants."
• The future of the Padres is "anchored in a dizzying international talent-grab."

At least Woj tried to spice up the night by getting Boggie traded during the game. For that, Woj actually received three MVP votes.

— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) February 20, 2017

Of the 25 #NBAallStar players, 21 have shoe deals with Nike Inc.

Most Nike players are wearing "Black History Month" themed sneakers.

— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) February 20, 2017

NFL, NHL all-star games are understandably lousy; they're dangerous collision sports. NBA is not, which is why its showcase is now the worst

— Kevin B. Blackistone (@ProfBlackistone) February 20, 2017

What a classy move by Jamie Benn and the Stars to salute @TheVoiceDS after OT win

— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) February 19, 2017

UK Sport reject every appeal from sports who had funding cut for Tokyo including badminton, table tennis, fencing, wheelchair rugby, archery

— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) February 20, 2017

A 2-minute hit on the stories you need to know ... Subscribe on iTunes ... Check out our podcast home.

Friday night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “World Landmarks.”

“Completed in 1884, the Washington Monument became the tallest manmade structure but four years later was surpassed by this.”

Actress Julie Andrews appeared on Friday night's edition of CBS’ “The Late Show.” Host Stephen Colbert said to Andrews, who was born in England but has lived in the U.S. and married an American, “You are, to Americans, about as British as it can get in our eyes. How American over the years have you become? Obviously, you were married to the great Blake Edwards, the brilliant comedian director, and how Americanized did you get? Did you watch the Super Bowl?” Andrews: “Of course I did, end to end, believe me.” Colbert then asked, “Who were you pulling for, Julie?” Andrews replied, “Is it okay to say?” Colbert: “Yes.” Andrews said of Patriots QB Tom Brady, “I wanted him to win because he would have broken all the records so I wanted Brady to win and, gosh, wasn't he spectacular? Who did you want to win?” Colbert: “I wanted the Falcons to win. I'm from South Carolina and Atlanta was the closest team when I was a kid.” Andrews said the Falcons are a "great team," and "they're going to win again" (“The Late Show,” CBS, 2/17).

“What is the Eiffel Tower?”