NBA Trade Rumors: Dwight Howard Or DeMarcus Cousins Could Be Traded To Pelicans Or Knicks

There are a number of teams in the NBA that could benefit from acquiring a talented big man who can score, play defense, and especially rebound. The New Orleans Pelicans and New York Knicks are both teams that fit that description, and there may be some options before the NBA trade deadline arrives in February. If the rumors have any truth to them, then it’s possible that both teams could try to land Dwight Howard or DeMarcus Cousins.

New Orleans is currently in second-to-last place in the Western Conference, with a record of 11-24. There is a good bit of talent on the team surrounding their franchise player, Anthony Davis, but injuries have decimated them again this season.

That’s not even mentioning some of the extremely huge contracts they have on the roster (Eric Gordon) who haven’t quite lived up to what they’re being paid. Getting another big player to start alongside Davis is something that the Pelicans would love to get before the trade deadline, according to Sports Blog.

Omer Asik simply isn’t cutting it for the Pelicans as they hoped he would. With that, Asik is someone that could be used as a trade offer along with lights-out shooter Ryan Anderson. Asik having his lowest rebounding average since his rookie season isn’t helping matters in New Orleans.

Dwight Howard is currently averaging 13.9 points-per-game, which is his lowest since his rookie season of 2004. He’s pulling down 11.7 rebounds-per-game, but has expressed his displeasure this season in his playing time, the scheme of the Houston Rockets, and there are even rumors that he’s not happy playing with James Harden anymore.

With the Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins is averaging 25.6 points-per-game and pulling down 10.8 rebounds-per-game. Those are incredibly impressive numbers, but Cousins has not gotten along well with coach George Karl, and the Kings may want to see what can be gotten for him.

Howard or Cousins landing in New Orleans would immediately strengthen their front court and make them legitimate playoff contenders in the Western Conference. If not this year, they would immediately jump into the picture for next year.

To land either one of those big men, though, the New Orleans Pelicans would have to offer up a package of both Omer Asik and Ryan Anderson.

Forward Times Online confirms that Dwight Howard has seen his name fall onto the trading block full of rumors again, and New Orleans isn’t the only possible landing spot. The same can be said for DeMarcus Cousins, as the New York Knicks have been the subject of a lot of trade talk in the past couple of weeks.

The New York Knicks are a team that has been connected to Howard, multiple guards, and now Derrick Rose in recent trade rumors. The Knicks could also really benefit from the services and play of Cousins or Howard.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Knicks are tenth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 18-20. They do have some trade bait they could use, though, such as Aaron Afflalo and Jose Calderon. Both would likely need to be packaged, with maybe one more player, if they want to land Howard.

If the Houston Rockets or Sacramento Kings aren’t necessarily on board with acquiring Omer Asik or Ryan Anderson, then a third team could get involved with either of them and the Pelicans. New Orleans has some options, but need to do something because what they have isn’t working.

The New Orleans Pelicans need help. The New York Knicks need help. The Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings both have disgruntled players in Dwight Howard and DeMarcus Cousins. The NBA trade rumors have the pieces there. Now, it’s just up to the teams to make the deals happen.

[Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images]