NBA Trade Rumors: Pelicans Inquire About Paul George And DeMarcus Cousins
Tonight, the 2017 NBA All-Star Game will see some of the best players in the world show off their skills, but many fans have their eyes on a day later this week. On Thursday, the NBA trade deadline will arrive and all of a sudden, the New Orleans Pelicans have decided to reach out and get some help for Anthony Davis. The usually quiet team from the “Big Easy” decided to speak up and make inquiries about Paul George of the Indiana Pacers and DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings.
With the NBA All-Star Game taking place in New Orleans, it is making it easy for the Pelicans’ brass to inquire about trades with the heads of the teams in their own house. On Sunday evening, it was revealed that they were looking into one or both of the big-time stars with the hopes of making a trade work before the deadline.
Pelicans have made trade inquiries on DeMarcus Cousins and Paul George, per league sources. Talks have progressed further on Cousins.
— Justin Verrier (@JustinVerrier) February 19, 2017
CBS Sports just reported that the Pacers were actually looking for some help for Paul George and were willing to shop their 2017 first-round draft pick to land a star. Well, it appears as if the Pelicans are looking to get something more than a draft pick away from Indiana.
As they sit in the 11th spot in the Western Conference, the Pelicans are looking to get better now instead of somewhere down the line. Bleacher Report states that just about anyone on New Orleans’ roster could be had in a trade, but it doesn’t seem as if Davis is on the market for obvious reasons.
Jrue Holiday is the team’s second-best player and he’s due to be a free agent at the end of this year. Davis has already said that he would be willing to help out if it meant keeping Holiday around for years to come. So, that eliminates two players that they could use to get George, but other pieces are there.
Multiple draft picks and Buddy Hield look to be like the trade options that would most likely be used for the Pelicans to land a player like George. Before that trade with the Pacers is made, though, one with the Sacramento Kings appears to be further along.
SB Nation is reporting that the talks are heating up between the Pelicans and Kings to have “The Brow” joined by another University of Kentucky alum in DeMarcus Cousins.
If the trade is to be completed, New Orleans would send multiple first-round draft picks along with Hield to Sacramento in exchange for Cousins. Recent reports this past week have come out with the front office of the Kings saying they had no intention of dealing away their star player before the trading deadline on Thursday.
Kings general manager Vlade Divac even specifically told ESPN that “We’re not trading DeMarcus. We hope he’s here for a long time.” That was just two weeks ago and the report also states that the player’s reps met with the team to discuss a new max deal in order to keep him around.
Obviously, some things have changed.
Landing the Kings’ star would instantly make the frontcourt of the New Orleans Pelicans a force o be reckoned with, and it could give them that jump to get to the playoffs. Landing Paul George in a trade would instantly improve the overall team and give them the court leadership they’ve been lacking for years.
The NBA trade deadline is just days away and some of the discussions will heat up a lot in the coming week, but there is always the chance that not much may happen. While the New York Knicks and others have been in the spotlight, the New Orleans Pelicans have now placed themselves at the top of the rumor ladder. Anthony Davis needs help and he would certainly get that if the team is able to trade for DeMarcus Cousins or Paul George.
[Featured Image by Jamie Squire/Getty Images]
