Count another NBA All Star into trying to convince Carmelo Anthony to play with his team. According to Ian Begley of ESPN, DeMarcus Cousins tweeted out a picture trying to reunite the two Olympic teammates. Cousins was traded by the Sacramento Kings to the new orleans Pelicans. This deal is a long shot for happening, but it gives a nice "what if" scenario.
The dream lineup
Can you imagine a lineup of Anthony, Cousins, and Anthony Davis? Then, you have Jrue Holiday as a reliable point guard. That starting lineup would be one of the most dangerous starting five in the western conference.
Davis and Cousins could be one of the best front courts in the NBA, while Anthony would provide the outside shooting the team desperately needs. Holiday could be a facilitator rather than a third scoring option. This would be the best lineup in Pelicans history even though it's unlikely to happen.
Not the first team to tweet Anthony
CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers made news when he posted a picture of Anthony in a Trail Blazers uniform. The picture erupted on social media as the Trail Blazers were once a team that was linked to being a third team to help facilitate a trade with the Houston Rockets. Now, the Trail Blazers could be out as Anthony has said that he will not lift his no-trade clause for Portland.
The Rockets new point guard Chris Paul has said that he has wanted Anthony to play in Houston. Paul and Anthony are well known as very close friends. Anthony has been reported to saying that he will only waive his no-trade clause for Houston. With the tweet of Cousins, it adds another player recruiting Anthony's services.
The reason for it to be unlikely
The Pelicans do not have the players to offer for Anthony. The only star players that New York would consider taking are Cousins or Davis, which are untouchable. The best prospect on the team is Frank Jackson, a point guard that New Orleans just drafted out of Duke University. The Pelicans would be doing themselves no favors by trading one of their best players for a future 34-year-old.
Combine that with the fact that Cousins is set to be a free agent at the end of the season. The team cannot afford Davis, Cousins, and Anthony on the same payroll. Holiday signed a five-year, $131 million this offseason. Cousins could request a max level contract next offseason, and there is no guarantee that he is going to stay with the Pelicans. Anthony would never waive his no-trade clause if he didn't know if Cousins would stay or not.
