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).
