Mon, Feb 20, 2017 at 11:59am

PELICANS GET BIG, BIG BOOST WITH BOOGIE

The New Orleans Pelicans acquired center/power forward DeMarcus Cousins and combo forward Omri Casspi from the Sacramento Kings for guard/forward Tyreke Evans, guard/forward Buddy Hield, combo guard Langston Galloway, a top-3 protected 1st-round draft pick in 2017, and a 2nd-round draft pick in 2017.

What does it give the New Orleans Pelicans
If 'Boogie' Cousins sticks around for more than the final one-plus seasons left on his contract, he and resident superstar Anthony Davis will give New Orleans a potentially historically-good 'twin towers' combination. It's very arguable that right now, they're the two best true big men in the game--and both are just entering their primes as pros. If the team can additionally keep the improved and now-healthy Jrue Holiday in the fold as well, the Pelicans will have one of the best Big Three combinations in the NBA moving forward.

What does it give the Sacramento Kings
This is a bold but interesting move by Sacramento. While Evans and Hield are above-average talents on the wing, neither is in the same stratosphere as Cousins in terms of franchise-changing talent. In fact, Evans and Hield are now probably the top two players on the Kings--a team suddenly without any obvious superstars. It's clear the Kings decided Cousins is not the cornerstone they want to build around, and it's understandable in some ways in terms of leadership (his maturity has long been questioned in the media) combined with finances (since he was eligible to sign a long-term extension this summer for over $200 million). The reported waiving of Matt Barnes as well suggests Sacto is looking to change team culture, since both he and Cousins have extensive histories of surly behavior. Bottom line: Sacramento takes a big hit talent-wise in the short term, but this summer's draft--where the organization might have two high first-round picks--will say more about this deal.

Fantasy impact
Evans and Hield should both be snapped up immediately in most fantasy leagues. That duo has a chance to be the focus of the Kings' offense the rest of this season (assuming Evans can stay healthy) since Darren Collison is the only obvious other go-to guy amongst the players left on Sacto's roster. With that in mind, this deal probably hurts the respective fantasy values of wings Ben McLemore and Arron Afflalo. Additionally, expect Sacramento big men Willy Cauley-Stein and Kosta Koufos to play larger roles. Barnes can be dropped in fantasy. On the New Orleans side of things, Cousins should stay roughly as valuable as ever (since he'll likely pick up all the shots left by Evans and Hield, and Davis will take some pressure off him in the paint). Davis should equally stay just as valuable, as should Holiday (who might become a top-5 assist man the rest of this season). Don't expect much from Casspi or Galloway on each's respective new squad.