Woj Bomb: DeMarcus Cousins traded to Pelicans

[Roy H.]

HALLELUJAH! That punk won't be on our team now!!

Davis will also be leaving NOLA soon!! Cousins is a jerk. A class act like Davis will hit the road rather than deal with his antics.

Lol

Yes and yes. 

Davis better get used to the Cousins crying and pouting to the refs

Davis and Cousins are good friends.

[Eddie20]

One NBA GM to ESPN on the Boogie Cousins trade: "It was bad deal. Now New Orleans will pay him close to 200 million. Sacramento just did not want to pay him. Only Vivek wanted him. New Orleans was desperate -- and Sacramento is free!"

Jeff Goodman, ESPN Insider

[Roy H.]

One NBA GM to ESPN on the Boogie Cousins trade: "It was bad deal. Now New Orleans will pay him close to 200 million. Sacramento just did not want to pay him. Only Vivek wanted him. New Orleans was desperate -- and Sacramento is free!"

Jeff Goodman, ESPN Insider

Lol.

[hpantazo]

I guess the Celtics really weren't interested. I trust Ainge, I am sure he and Stevens have their reasons.

I am just glad that at least the Lakers didn't get him.

[Atzar]

I don't think the Celtics would have had to include either Nets pick to outbid the NO offer for Cousins.  That's the part that bothers me most. 

Brown, the rights to Zizic (whom Vlade I thought I'd read really loves), and a collection of non-Nets draft picks is a better offer than Hield (who is 23 I think, and so far has really struggled), and a 1st that's likely going to be around pick #16 (Zizic is worth that at least).  Add to that the ability to offer their own 1st, the clippers 1st, the Memphis 1st, and/or the plethora of 2nds the C's own, and Ainge could have easily topped NO's package without either Nets pick.  This is what upsets me.  Cousins on this team is a perfect on court fit.  He's exactly what they lack and need.  A team with Cousins at the 5, Horford the 4, Crowder, Bradley, IT, Smart, etc. is a legit title contender.  Certainly it's a team that could beat Cleveland.  Plus they would still have the Nets picks......sigh....

That being said....

Clearly the lack of interest, and cost, throughout the league in Cousins, means that he is one bad dude.   He's arguably a top 5-10 talent, and best big in the league.  A franchise type talent, in a league where franchise type players win teams titles.  Yet, 90% of  the league's teams didn't want him at a severely discounted price.  That tells me that he is a plague. That there are things about him, or his personality, that we don't know.  We all know he's a knucklehead and unstable, but so aren't other talented players in the league.  For virtually everyone to pass on him for 20 cents on the dollar, the writing about him is on the table.  For shame, cuz with his talent on this roster, and at that price, the Celtics would be a legitimate title contender.  Oh well.  It sucks, but my eyes tell me the reasons not to trade for him were legitimate.

The ridiculous part to me is that I don't even think we would have needed to move Brown.  Offer them Amir and Jerebko for cap relief, Olynyk and Rozier as youth and upside, and two firsts that aren't BKN '17 or BKN '18.  Take back Tolliver to match salaries and give them further cap relief.  I think that deal is already better than what the Kings got from NOP without even touching our most important assets. 

That aside, I do agree with the rest of your post.  27 GMs in the NBA decided that this offer wasn't worth topping (and then there's Brooklyn, which couldn't have done it if they wanted).  So this dude must earn every bit of his reputation and then some. 

[Eddie20]

One NBA GM to ESPN on the Boogie Cousins trade: "It was bad deal. Now New Orleans will pay him close to 200 million. Sacramento just did not want to pay him. Only Vivek wanted him. New Orleans was desperate -- and Sacramento is free!"

Jeff Goodman, ESPN Insider

Lol.

It's pretty clear what's going on. Fans think the Kings were fleeced, but team executives think they made the right move. Which side has the greater insight to Cousins' temperament?

This is from Kings play-by-play man Grant Napear, who like Gorman with us, is privy to a lot of behind the scenes information:

Trading DMC was an absolute no brainer! There has been a dark cloud over this franchise for years! That cloud is now gone!

The Kings were never going to win with Cousins. NEVER! This was a no brainer! I wish him well! I really do but it was time!

And here's maybe the most important thing. Most of Cousin's teammates the past 7 years hated playing with him! That is a fact!

[TA9]

This tweet by the New Orleans Pelicans twitter account says it all:
https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA/status/833556203179483137

Kings got robbed.

[RJ87]

Most of their fans seem glad he's gone (a red flag considering he was on record saying he wanted to extend so the risk of losing him in FA for nothing was mute) but bummed this is the best deal they could get.

The more this plays out, the more it seems like Danny flat out wasn't interested and a lot of other teams passed as well.

[Big333223]

It's pretty clear what's going on. Fans think the Kings were fleeced, but team executives think they made the right move. Which side has the greater insight to Cousins' temperament?

This is from Kings play-by-play man Grant Napear, who like Gormam with us, is privy to a lot of behind the scenes information:

Trading DMC was an absolute no brainer! There has been a dark cloud over this franchise for years! That cloud is now gone!

The Kings were never going to win with Cousins. NEVER! This was a no brainer! I wish him well! I really do but it was time!

And here's maybe the most important thing. Most of Cousin's teammates the past 7 years hated playing with him! That is a fact!

I like the insight from Naper. He's close to the team and has all the reason in the world to root for them but also doesn't have to save face for the franchise the way an executive would have to put pretend everything was roses, regardless of how bad the deal.

It doesn't make him right, but it means something that this guy who loves the team and watches every single game is glad Cousins is gone.

[hpantazo]

So what is the Kings core going forward? Buddy Heild, WCS, Skal Lab, plus whoever they draft this June?

[Eddie20]

ESPN

Q: Was this the best deal the Kings could get?


A: That will be debated for a long time. The Kings have been offered numerous better deals for Cousins over the last several years than the one they took. Only the Kings truly know what the other offers were. It is clear they prioritized young prospects and draft picks and not established players. Not every team had that type of package to offer. The Lakers, for example, were a bidder. But they couldn't trade their pick this season because it belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers, unless it's in the top three picks. It is fair to guess that many teams that could've made better offers didn't, which is a commentary on what Cousins' reputation is in the league.

[Tr1boy]

This tweet by the New Orleans Pelicans twitter account says it all:
https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA/status/833556203179483137

Kings got robbed.

Kings did not... Its the best they could get for a problem child
Plus they likely get to keep their own 2017 draft pick (top 10)

They are happy

You know how bad it got in Sac?? Not even draft prospects wanted to workout for the team

[Roy H.]

It's pretty clear what's going on. Fans think the Kings were fleeced, but team executives think they made the right move. Which side has the greater insight to Cousins' temperament?

This is from Kings play-by-play man Grant Napear, who like Gormam with us, is privy to a lot of behind the scenes information:

Trading DMC was an absolute no brainer! There has been a dark cloud over this franchise for years! That cloud is now gone!

The Kings were never going to win with Cousins. NEVER! This was a no brainer! I wish him well! I really do but it was time!

And here's maybe the most important thing. Most of Cousin's teammates the past 7 years hated playing with him! That is a fact!

I like the insight from Naper. He's close to the team and has all the reason in the world to root for them but also doesn't have to save face for the franchise the way an executive would have to put pretend everything was roses, regardless of how bad the deal.

It doesn't make him right, but it means something that this guy who loves the team and watches every single game is glad Cousins is gone.

Cedric Maxwell thinks Dirk was better than Larry.  The analysis of announcers is about as relevant as the analysis of talk radio hosts.

[Eddie20]

It's pretty clear what's going on. Fans think the Kings were fleeced, but team executives think they made the right move. Which side has the greater insight to Cousins' temperament?

This is from Kings play-by-play man Grant Napear, who like Gormam with us, is privy to a lot of behind the scenes information:

Trading DMC was an absolute no brainer! There has been a dark cloud over this franchise for years! That cloud is now gone!

The Kings were never going to win with Cousins. NEVER! This was a no brainer! I wish him well! I really do but it was time!

And here's maybe the most important thing. Most of Cousin's teammates the past 7 years hated playing with him! That is a fact!

I like the insight from Naper. He's close to the team and has all the reason in the world to root for them but also doesn't have to save face for the franchise the way an executive would have to put pretend everything was roses, regardless of how bad the deal.

It doesn't make him right, but it means something that this guy who loves the team and watches every single game is glad Cousins is gone.

Cedric Maxwell thinks Dirk was better than Larry.  The analysis of announcers is about as relevant as the analysis of talk radio hosts.

So bringing up whatever Max said, even thought it's obviously an aberration, brings credence to your point?

Grant Napear has been the Kings play-by-play- man, not the color analyst, for the last 20 years. There is a difference between the roles. Napear is the Gorman in the Kings' broadcast.

It's clear that you're a Cousins supporter and have been so for years. However, does that mean you should ignore and refute every single report that's being circulated about Cousins' team killing personality? Do you think there is some hidden agenda to smear Cousins' name? Or could the reality be that he is indeed a nightmare to deal with and the proof is in the pudding as evidenced by the limited offers it did receive and coincidentally both teams (Pelicans and Lakers) are struggling, desperate, and willing to make a deal with the devil?

[fairweatherfan]

It's pretty clear what's going on. Fans think the Kings were fleeced, but team executives think they made the right move. Which side has the greater insight to Cousins' temperament?

This is from Kings play-by-play man Grant Napear, who like Gormam with us, is privy to a lot of behind the scenes information:

Trading DMC was an absolute no brainer! There has been a dark cloud over this franchise for years! That cloud is now gone!

The Kings were never going to win with Cousins. NEVER! This was a no brainer! I wish him well! I really do but it was time!

And here's maybe the most important thing. Most of Cousin's teammates the past 7 years hated playing with him! That is a fact!

I like the insight from Naper. He's close to the team and has all the reason in the world to root for them but also doesn't have to save face for the franchise the way an executive would have to put pretend everything was roses, regardless of how bad the deal.

It doesn't make him right, but it means something that this guy who loves the team and watches every single game is glad Cousins is gone.

Yeah, and note it's not something really subjective like talent evaluation, it's that the team A. never won with him or showed any real signs of approaching it, and B. his teammates hated playing with him. A. is obvious to anyone following the team but B. is something an announcer would be privy to.

If Mike Gorman said Jaylen Brown wasn't going to be a very good player, eh, major grain of salt. If he said teammates can't stand him, that's something to be genuinely concerned with because he's around those people almost every day. Obviously Sacramento and most of the league agree with Napear's assessment.