The Pelicans offseason hinges on the DeMarcus Cousins decision. Will he sign? Will he walk? Will he agree to a sign-and-trade? In this series, I will look at ways to build a team that finds itself in any of those scenarios. Early offseason whispers and exit interview between the line reading had many of us believing DeMarcus Cousins was not going to be walking through the Pelicans locker room again — despite a long period of strong belief that he was desperately wanted just weeks earlier. To be clear, this wasn’t my hope. It was just what the tea leaves were pointing to, especially when you go back and reread this Sporting News article that echoed much of the whispers local media and bloggers were pulling out of the sky with makeshift triggerfish devices crudely assembled from wire coat-hangers, old walkmans and tin foil — stating that Alvin Gentry had privately discussed with New Orleans inner circle about trading DeMarcus even prior to his injury. “During his Pelicans tenure, Cousins hasn’t had the explosive tirades we saw during his time in Sacramento. But he still has some bully in him when it comes to his “disrespectful” treatment of coaches and teammates, sources told Sporting News. Those, along with his notable playing deficiencies, have moved coach Alvin Gentry to privately talk of wanting to trade his second-best player, next to Anthony Davis.” It would be easy to shrug off such a suggestion — if many of us had not heard similar complaints coming out of the locker room. Still, I believe that while they were certainly some real issues between the team, the staff and Boogie that were kept relatively hush-hush, which led to some intriguing post elimination quotes, social media antics and Cousins’ absence during the Warriors series — after his presence was so celebrated for the Portland series — reality is beginning to set in. It seems that the emergence of Nikola Mirotic and the ability to play at the tempo Alvin Gentry has longed for, with the switchability on defense that Darren Erman desired, and having an unquestioned locker room and on-court hierarchy, had the Pelicans staff and perhaps even their roster feeling themselves a little too much. This could have been possibly fueled by the constant questioning of whether the team was better without Cousins — a question that seemed impossible to ask prior to his injury. However, the late season run and sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers created a sense of false confidence in segments of the fanbase and definitely had much of the outside media and some in the local media also jumping on this bandwagon and creating a divide. However, as cap realities, team needs and the market for big men is becoming real while the sun sets on the NBA Finals and the draft looms, I feel like the Pelicans and the Cousins’ camp are starting to see how much they likely need each other. Player movement is exciting for sure. I love making trade proposals as much as I love watching actual games. It is an exciting game of what ifs and what works. However, while I expect and trust Dell Demps to make a few moves to improve the roster, I think any huge splashes are going to be the stuff of daydreams — mainly because a sign-and-trade (the biggest splashiest card in his deck) is seemingly impossible. While Oleh recently presented a strong case for a Cousins deal to Dallas — I don’t see Rick Carlisle wholeheartedly agreeing to the move. And with the Milwaukee Bucks hiring Mike Budenholzer as head coach, the Bucks, a team once whispered about in Boogie sign-and-trade destinations, is also likely out. In fact, there is only one sign-and-trade I see that would make some sense for all involved, but relies on too many parts. Still, I’ll lay it out for you here even though I don’t think it happens as it has too many hurdles. The first move is for the Pelicans to sign DeMarcus Cousins to a 2-year deal with a player option for the 2nd year that falls below the max numbers he would have gotten had he not been injured. For argument’s sake, let’s settle on $24 million for next season. The Pels would send Cousins to the Wizards to form a new core with John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Otto Porter Jr.. The Wizards are in a better spot than the Pels were before adding Cousins because they were a consistent playoff team in the Eastern Conference, but they have continued to under-perform once getting to the postseason. Washington is desperate for a shake-up and a two-year gamble on Cousins could pay dividends — or at least buy Ernie Grunfeld some needed job security. Remember, Cousins has to agree to a sign-and-trade, which makes the Wizards one of the few landing spots that makes some sense. He will be reunited with his former college point guard and close friend, and he will be right in the mix for a shot at the Eastern Conference championship, especially if LeBron James leaves Cleveland for the West. None of these rationales are new to the avid Pels rumor reader, but while all of the versions of a Boogie to Washington trade include bringing Porter Jr. to New Orleans — mine does not. The Mirotic era showed us a blueprint to a successful and exciting style of play, but it also showed us that we have many holes to fill in order to beat the upperclass in the Western Conference four times in seven games. In my opinion, having Cousins allowed us to be that weird team that was hard to plan for and created mismatches for the opponent — though I don’t think we ever really maximized what our size offered, which could be blamed on coaching or perhaps Boogie operating outside of the system — however, if we are shirking that mismatch to play the uptempo en vogue offense of this era, then we have a lot more holes to fill than what Otto Porter Jr. and his questionable back bring to the table. Here’s how Dell can plug those many holes with this trade being the centerpiece: The Washington Wizards would send the Pels Tomas Satoransky, Kelly Oubre Jr., Jason Smith and Marcin Gortat, which totals $25,353,035 in salary. This saves the Wizards $1,353,035 in the transaction, but still has them over the luxury tax. You could argue that the roster has enough star power to pay the tax, but I’d think they would also look to move Markieff Morris and/or preferably Ian Mahinmi to get below the line. For the Pelicans, the prizes are Satoransky and Oubre. Satoransky is a 6’-7” point guard that sees the floor well, is a decent athlete, has nice playmaking ability, creates problems with his length, can post up and shot 46.5% from deep last season — while starting 30 games for an injured John Wall. Tomas could replace Rondo should Rajon find greener pastures or he could provide more flexibility in the guard rotation. His size, defensive abilities and his scoring ability would allow Alvin Gentry to employ him in numerous personnel groupings — especially when using three-guard lineups. Satoransky has the size and abilities to be a perfect piece in Alvin Gentry and Darren Erman’s systems. Look at his per 100 possession numbers from last season via Basketball-Reference. Satoransky checks a series of boxes for the Pelicans: 3pt shooting, size, rebounding, playmaking, steals and a very impressive offensive rating. Kelly Oubre Jr. also has potential to deliver what the Pelicans need. Oubre is a 6’-7” springy small forward that can give you minutes at the four — unlike the rumored ability of Solomon Hill to do so. While he isn’t the polished shooter you’d love to have at the three, he is improving — hitting 34% of his threes this season — however, he isn’t stretching the floor for you yet with that jumper. Teams will sag off and allow him to take those shots. This may sound very Solomon Hill or Dante Cunningham-like, but Oubre is much more aggressive and confident than those two on the offensive end. He’s a solid cutter, finishes strong around the rim and isn’t a detriment when driving and kicking out to open teammates. Oubre is still very much a raw prospect though he has shown the tools to be a solid wing defender and adequate scorer in this league in flashes. He’d certainly be an upgrade over E’Twaun Moore when it comes to guarding threes, and would be an offensive upgrade over Hill or Cunningham. He’s also just 22 years old so he injects some needed youth to this core while also providing good promise. I’m sure you all burped at hot vomit with the inclusion of Smith and Gortat; however, both are on expiring contracts. The Pelicans could eat those for a year, and Gortat wouldn’t be the worst backup big they’ve had to field in recent memory, though, the goal would be to move him to create more cap space. Our podcast hosting franchise player, **Preston Ellis**, also spends much of his time covering the Orlando Magic for the Do You Believe in Magic? Podcast and the Orlando Pinstriped Post when he’s not hosting The Bird Calls Podcast or contributing to The Bird Writes...or starring in commercials with Christian Laettner — and he has heard that Gortat wants to retire in Orlando. Well, the Magic want to shed nearly all of their long term contracts that don’t belong to Jonathan Isaac so the Pelicans would be very happy to help make this happen. Orlando could absorb Gortat’s contract without sending out any salary so sending a couple of 2nds could make this work on it’s own, but knowing that they are looking to dump contracts could net the Pels a serviceable player or two — moves that could also allow the Pelicans to move some of their other contracts for space, picks or talent. I’ve heard the idea of packaging Alexis Ajinca with Solomon Hill to acquire Evan Fournier, which is a move I don’t really like because I’m not a big Fournier fan. However, the Pelicans could make this move with Gortat, Ajinca and some combo of the non-guaranteed players (DeAndre Liggins, Darius Miller or Emeka Okafor), but without sending out Hill, Smith and/or Moore in separate moves this would also have the Pelicans at the tax. “In a perfect world,” I’d love for the Pelicans to move Gortat and a 2nd to the Magic for Jonathan Simmons, but I expect the Magic would push to attach another contract — looking at their roster and contracts I’d be fine with taking on Shelvin Mack (whose $6M a year deal is expiring and only has $1M in guaranteed money that could prove very useful), but if I get to keep the 2nd and/or get a 2nd from Orlando I’d take D.J. Agustin instead. If you’ve read my work before, you know I’m a big fan of Simmons — he was a crucial part of the offseason plan I put together last year. A year in Orlando has done little to sway my lust for him. Taking on Mack is clearly worth the reward as he can be waived at only a $1M charge, added to another trade or kept as depth— though I’m not bullish on Augustin. For moving this plan forward’s sake, let’s assume we send a 2nd and get Simmons and Mack. The roster and salaries would look like this before further tweaking. PG: Rajon Rondo (cap-hold $3,960,000), Tomas Satoransky ($3,129,187), Shelvin Mack ($6M — only $1M guaranteed) and Frank Jackson ($1,378,242) SG: Jrue Holiday ($26,161,111), E’Twaun Moore ($8,445,024), Jonathan Simmons ($6,000,000), DeAndre Liggins (non-guaranteed $1,795,015) — after the initial trades the Pelicans would renounce Ian Clark and Jordan Crawford SF: Kelly Oubre Jr. ($3,208,630), Solomon Hill ($12,752,928), Darius Miller (non-guaranteed $2,205,000) PF: Nikola Mirotic ($12,500,000), Cheick Diallo (partially guaranteed $1,544,951) C: Anthony Davis ($25,434,263), Alexis Ajinca ($5,285,394), Emeka Okafor (non-guaranteed $2,445,085), Jason Smith ($5,450,000) Roster: 17 Players Payroll: $127,694,830 Luxury Tax: $123,000,000<doc-sep>The Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans have managed to secure meetings with free agent center DeMarcus Cousins. However, it appears they are not the only ones looking to acquire the versatile big man. While the Lakers and Pelicans have emerged as the favorites to sign Cousins, this has not topped the Washington Wizards from gauging interest. According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, they are considered a longshot to land him at this point: Other than the Lakers, the Pelicans might not have much other competition for Cousins. The Mavericks were once interested, but already verbally agreed to sign center DeAndre Jordan. The Wizards are considered a sign-and-trade possibility, though sources have told me that’s a longshot, with Suns center Alex Len a more realistic target. It certainly comes as no surprise to see Washington land on the short list. The two have been linked ever since Cousins was still being shopped by the Sacramento Kings. The Wizards recently made room in the frontcourt after parting ways with center Marcin Gortat. Furthermore, the familiarity between Cousins and point guard John Wall from their time as college teammates could pay huge dividends for this team. However, it is still difficult to imagine them being able to pry him away from the Lakers or Pelicans. Los Angeles is still recovering after being snubbed by Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Paul George at the start of free agency. If they have any hope of signing small forward LeBron James, then they will likely need to bring in another superstar to pair him with. Meanwhile, New Orleans has shown that they are willing to make the heavy investment to keep Cousins around. It is safe to assume they will attempt to do the same in free agency. That said, it remains to be seen what the deciding factor for Cousins will be when it comes to making a decision.<doc-sep>
Tonight’s NBA trade between the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards was notable for the players involved: point guard Austin Rivers and center Marcin Gortat. However, what it could portend for other star players is way more interesting. Rivers was shipped off of his father’s team to Washington, where he will back up all-star John Wall… assuming he is still on the roster when the start of the season rolls around. Wall and Gortat have a rocky relationship, and the center is set to make $13.5 million this year before becoming a free agent, so the move makes sense on that side as well. For the Clippers, this could mean the end of the line for DeAndre Jordan. Gortat probably isn’t supplanting him, but this could mean a rebuild, with Jordan moving on, could be coming. After the trade, New York Times NBA insider Marc Stein floated the possibility of a Jordan sign-and-trade to Dallas, who could definitely be looking to add a big time center. Among the various options DeAndre Jordan has been weighing, according to league sources, is opting into the final season of his current contract (at $24.1 million) before Friday's midnight deadline to facilitate a trade — with Dallas, sources say, among the teams interested — Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 26, 2018 DeAndre Jordan may not be the only top center impacted. Wizards fans are excitedly speculating about what it means for DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins starred alongside Wall in their one season at Kentucky. The two have long been rumored as eventual NBA teammates as well. The Pelicans will probably make a run at Cousins. However, given the brutal injury that ended his 2017-18 season, and the way the team played with him out, there is no guarantee there. The Wizards will have to make some moves to open up room for Cousins. The team would potentially need to sign-and-trade with New Orleans to make it work. However it would have to happen, fans on Twitter seem all in here. @World_Wide_Wob Troy Brown wore 0 in college. Chose 6 when got to Wizards. Demarcus Cousins followed him after draft and liked his Instagram post. Now Gortat traded. ?#BoogieToDC pic.twitter.com/PrOUWNlQM9 — Taylor Vippolis (@tvippolis) June 26, 2018 LMAO bruh whaaat. Dawg I swear if the Wizards don't do something significant like sign Boogie Cousins I'm not watching a second of this team until Ernie Grunfeld is gone https://t.co/SYA36EIATg — Mean Keen (@MeanKeen13) June 27, 2018 Demarcus Cousins will play for the Washington Wizards next year. #BoogieInDC — Drew Meyer (@DrewMeyer25) June 27, 2018 Demarcus Cousins to the Wizards confirmed. Kentucky is back https://t.co/jUajySqsKi — NY Sports Fans Venting Page (@KnicksGuy1) June 27, 2018 Wizards trading gortat for Austin rivers.. can only mean one thing I think here comes boogie cousins ?? — ? ?‍♂️ (@JT4400) June 26, 2018 #Wizards have been linked to Demarcus Cousins all off season and now their center position is wide open, not good for the Pels https://t.co/CtIASVliQZ — Brenden Ertle (@Brenden_Ertle) June 26, 2018 This is….something. Wizards may be making room for DeMarcus Cousins. https://t.co/JEdQqK8ko9 — John Reecer (@JohnReecerKSR) June 26, 2018 Wizards making room for a sign and trade for DeMarcus Cousins here? https://t.co/CrklbwF6R1 — Brett Bibbins (@BrettBibbinsKSR) June 26, 2018 That would certainly be a splash for the Wizards, and make them a very interesting team in an ever-shifting Eastern Conference, one that could look very different with the potential of no LeBron James. If Cousins isn’t an option, Dwight Howard could be an interesting Plan B. Howard, recently traded to the Brooklyn Nets from the Charlotte Hornets, is reportedly negotiating a buyout. Even after his prime, during which he was an All-Star every season and an occasional MVP candidate, Howard has been one of the better true big men in the NBA. With a buyout, he’d be very affordable. However, he is also thought of as a poor locker room guy, and that may not be the best fit for a team that has had questionable chemistry in recent seasons.