Your Morning Dump... Kings Trade Cousins to Pelicans for 40 Cents on the Dollar; Your Move, Danny

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Adrian Wojnarowski broke NBA twitter following last night’s All-Star Game. He tweeted updates on a developing Kings-Pelicans deal throughout Sunday, and roughly an hour after the All-Star Game ended, Woj officially broke the news.

New Orleans will send guard Buddy Hield, 2017 first- and second-round picks, and guards Tyreke Evans and Langston Galloway to Sacramento for Cousins and forward Omri Casspi, league sources told The Vertical.

…

Cousins and his representatives were blindsided by the deal after being told repeatedly – even as late as Sunday afternoon – that Cousins wouldn’t be moved to the Pelicans in the deal, league sources said. Around the league there was surprise that general manager Vlade Divac would take such strident public and private stands – only to go back on his word.

The Vertical

Wow. This caught everybody off guard. After years of trade speculation, he finally gets traded… for barely anything! Demarcus Cousins had been enjoying his finest season of his seven year career, averaging 27.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks. The Kings intended to offer him a $200+ million extension this offseason, and Cousins indicated he’d happily agree to that offer. His interview with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne appeared to confirm a long-term partnership.

But if we’ve learned anything about the Vivek Ranadive-owned Kings, unpredictability and instability is the norm. The Ranadive ownership group showed a strong commitment to Cousins since purchasing the team in 2013, cycling through five coaches and three general managers while showing an unrelenting effort to appease their talented big man. They opened a new arena this season and hoped to make a run at the 8th seed. Despite Sacramento’s on-court struggles, they’ve had overwhelming success on the business side of things.

The Celtics loss to the Kings on February 8th represented a turning point for Kings Ownership.

With former Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas and his surging Celtics in town and Cousins nowhere to be seen, the Kings won going away (108-92) in a game that would be a topic of internal discussion in the days to come. Thomas’ presence was fitting in a way, as his inability to mesh with Cousins during his early NBA years played a part in his departure and eventual rise.

USA Today

The Kings had cold feet about offering Cousins that massive extension, and the win against Boston allowed Sacramento to evaluate how severely Cousins affected team culture.

This was a culture move for the Kings: fear of investing so massively in Cousins, being 1st round fodder, Buddy Hield, building via draft

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) February 20, 2017

On paper, New Orleans unequivocally won the trade. Previously reported trades involving Cousins had the Kings receiving a substantially greater return. Had the Kings extended the trade talks, and started a larger bidding war, they could have received more than Buddy Hield and a mid 1st round pick, but for whatever reason, they choose to act swiftly.

Within Celtics Nation, feelings of shock and anger persist. How could Danny Ainge not beat that offer from the Pelicans? The Celtics have players better than Buddy Hield and picks more valuable than those in the trade. From the optimist perspective, the Jimmy Butler trade might be more of a possibility, and the Celtics would not want to commit to Cousins if instead Butler is attainable.

Source w/reasons Pels got Boogie: Cs (too focussed on getting Butler), Orl (could've had him, balked) & Phx (Sac didn't want BKnight).

— Ric Bucher (@RicBucher) February 20, 2017

Only Sacramento could offer Cousins the $200 million extension, as these types of contracts are only applicable for players on teams that originally drafted them. Cousins has a player option for the 2018-2019 season and is widely expected to opt out and explore free agency. Because of the lack of leverage, teams were reluctant to engage in trade talks, effectively suppressing his market, leading Sacramento to settle for this offer. Some reports indicate Sacramento did not receive great offers for Cousins, that GMs were not terribly interested.

The Kings, in their own delusional way, think they received a substantial return:

Kings view Buddy Hield as a top 5 pick, per source. In their eyes they received a top 5 talent and a top 10 pick, if Pelicans stay mediocre.

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 20, 2017

There were objectively better deals available for the Kings, but since they think so highly of Buddy Hield, that's the direction they went.

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 20, 2017

The Kings organization is practically pushing him out the door. Here’s a series of tweets from their play-by-play announcer, Grant Napear… Can you imagine Mike Gorman saying this about anybody? (he was supportive of Rondo after he got traded)

The Kings play by play commentator gave his true thoughts on DeMarcus Cousins immediately… awful. pic.twitter.com/OvBmGKtnmT

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) February 20, 2017

Vivek Ranadive was part of the Joe Lacob-led ownership group that bought the Warriors in 2011. Reportedly, he is “obsessed” with the Warriors: the way they play, how the organization is run, etc. In that context, overvaluing a shooter like Buddy Hield makes some sense… kind of.

In a “Lowe Post” podcast with David Thorpe back in November, Zach Lowe said he doesn’t think Brad Stevens “wants to touch Demarcus Cousins with a 10-foot pole… That carries a lot of weight in Boston.” Quite simply, that may be the primary reason Demarcus Cousins is not wearing green.

Tim Bontemps on the “Dunc’d on Basketball” podcast, said the Kings “tried to engage with Boston, Boston was hesitant to give up anything of value at all, including Terry Rozier, like they just weren’t willing to engage on anything with them.” Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reported that the Celtics were not trying to engage with the Kings. Either the Celtics feel strong about their chances with Jimmy Butler (as Ric Bucher and others have reported), or they have no interest in taking on the baggage that comes with Demarcus Cousins.

This trade exemplifies the uncertainty of NBA transactions. The Celtics are in prime position to trade for a star. The Pelicans were not at all. In fact, through trading 1st round picks, investing in non-modern players, and failing to develop anyone not named Anthony Davis, New Orleans rivaled Sacramento in front office incompetence. The Kings decided on a whim they wanted to move Cousins, and the Pelicans luckily had a player Sacramento overvalued. The value of the Celtics’ assets does not factor intangible aspects of the trade market, like a player’s reputation or an organization’s lack of direction.

New Orleans, armed the two best bigs in the league, should be a lock for the west 8th seed, but a Davis/Cousins duo with a shaky supporting cast does not guarantee anything. As the league moves towards stretch 4’s, spread pick-and-roll, and pace-and-space, the Pelicans must implement an old school style of offense. They must quickly figure out how each player gets post touches within the flow of the offense and how often Cousins will be forced to play on the perimeter. On defense, opponents will neutralize Davis’s rim protecting ability when he’s forced to guard the more mobile big men. There are several uncertainties on how Davis and Cousins can share the floor.

Since 2011, the Celtics have been linked to Cousins trade rumors. Despite moving on from Pierce, Garnett, and Rondo, the rumors persisted, and Celtics fans would have gladly overpaid to bring his stardom to Boston. That never happened, and now we can cross Demarcus Cousins off the list of “potential stars the Celtics can trade for.” Jimmy Butler, however, is still on this list, and his name will be swirling in trade rumors between now and Thursday.