Even for a royally dysfunctional franchise like the Sacramento Kings, this one takes the cake.
The Kings, a team that hasn't made the playoffs in over a decade, just gave away their best player for nearly nothing. The New Orleans Pelicans capitalized by taking on DeMarcus Cousins to pair with Anthony Davis to form the league's most talented frontcourt,
The price they paid was almost negligible.
Buddy Hield was a highly touted shooting guard coming out of Oklahoma, but he only had two solid years in college and was only picked in the lottery because the 2016 draft was historically weak. Hield is already 23 (older than Davis) and is averaging 8.6 points per game while shooting less than 40 percent from the field.
In other words, this was not some stud, can't-miss prospect. Hield could become a solid rotation player, perhaps even an All-Star in the future if everything went right, but he falls well short of Cousins' abilities.
The other prize Sacramento received was a first-round pick in the upcoming draft. Elite talent is likely out of reach since the selection is top-three protected, but as it is, the Pelicans could very well reach the playoffs and convey a pick out of the lottery altogether. The upcoming draft is deep, but it's not so deep that a three-time All-Star is worth a mid-to-late first.
As a reminder: the Kings dealt away first-round picks two summers ago just to dump salary for Marco Belinelli, who they later flipped to Charlotte for a first. Cousins couldn't fetch more than that? The math doesn't add up.
The rest is all scraps for the Kings. They get back former castaway Tyreke Evans, who is nothing more than an expiring contract, along with Langston Galloway, who will reportedly be waived upon arrival. They were only included to match salaries.
Keep in mind that Cousins is averaging 27.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists this season along with 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks. LeBron James, Draymond Green - many fellow Team USA stars agree that Cousins is the most talented big in the league.
It's reckless mismanagement. To only receive one measly first, a low-ceiling prospect, and assorted salary for Cousins is a massive loss for Sacramento.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
The Kings would argue that they needed to move on from Cousins.
Seven seasons didn't produce one playoff chase, let alone an actual playoff appearance. Cousins was a difficult personality and he repeatedly brought negative headlines upon the franchise. He feuded with coaches, screamed at referees, and amassed more ejections than Joey Crawford.
It wasn't working, so they decided to move on. There's nothing wrong with that line of thinking.
But the Kings went about this monumental decision seemingly without a game plan. They went from hinting at a lucrative five-year, $200-million extension weeks ago, to limiting Cousins to two minutes at the All-Star Game.
From the outside, the whole thing felt rushed. The trade seemingly broke within mere hours. It went from "listening to offers" to "agreed to deal" in one confusing Sunday evening. The market apparently wasn't strong since many teams were turned off by Cousins' character concerns, but instead of waiting for better offers, the desperate Kings went home with whoever was left after they reached their self-imagined last call.
Sacramento couldn't get a better return closer to the trade deadline? What about waiting until the draft itself to get a better idea of the picks its receiving? There was no rush - Cousins is under contract through 2018 and the Kings aren't going anywhere.
The Kings not only come away with pennies on the dollar, but they also dealt yet another self-inflicted blow to their shoddy reputation. They swore up and down - on and off the record - that Cousins wouldn't be moved, before ditching him in New Orleans. They come off as dishonest, desperate, and deranged for ditching a prodigal talent in this fashion.
Again, pivoting away from Cousins toward a rebuilding strategy is completely logical move on paper. The Kings can now tank the year to wiggle out of their top-10 protected first-round pick owed to the Chicago Bulls, and they can hope that Hield shatters all expectations thrust upon him.
But it's unfathomable that they couldn't have gotten more. Cousins is quite literally all the Kings had from an asset standpoint. Add in their sharp 180 from keeping Cousins to shedding him, the Kings only further cement their reputation as the most inept NBA franchise this side of New York.
