Who got the better deal?
It's interesting to note, that as far as the DeMarcus Cousins trade scenarios went, before the most recent confirmation that Boogie would be headed down to New Orleans, there was talk of DeMarcus Cousins being prepared to sign an extension with the Sacramento Kings for over $200M. Apparently, despite DeMarcus Cousins being the face of the franchise for the last handful of years, Sacramento did not want to let Boogie go to the bank with that much green, and, instead, decided to deal him to the new orleans Pelicans.
In exchange for DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Caspi, the Sacramento Kings received Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway, Tyreke Evans, a 2017 first-round pick (protected 1-3), and a 2017 second-round pick initially belonging to the Philadelphia 76ers.
It seems as though the Kings certainly did go with the whole "building for the future" mantra, which is essentially saying we don't plan on winning for a while (not that Sacramento has been doing a lot of that lately, anyway). Still, one would think that when you're holding the cards and dealing the most coveted trade target in this NBA trade deadline cycle, you'd at least get something worthwhile in return.
Perhaps the Sacramento Kings know something that we don't know, or, perhaps they are just white-knuckling it and hoping for the best. Either way, at this juncture it looks like the Kings are headed for lottery land.
Meanwhile, for the New Orleans Pelicans
There's no question that the New Orleans Pelicans got the better end of this deal.
They get a proven big man in DeMarcus Cousins to pair with an already established All-Star and franchise player in Anthony Davis. While they certainly won't be contending for a title this year, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Pelicans make a big push into the playoffs at the end of the regular season, and, they may just surprise some people.
Ultimately, with the addition of Boogie, the future looks bright for New Orleans, and things can only go up from here on out.
