The Philadelphia 76ers officially have one less suitor in the Jahlil Okafor trade market as the New Orleans Pelicans have reportedly acquired All-Star cetner DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi from the Sacramtento Kings for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Gallaway, a 2017 first round pick (top-3 protected) and a 2017 second round pick.
Once again: BUDDY HIELD, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, one future first-round pick & one future second for DeMarcus Cousins, sources say
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 20, 2017
While this deal doesn't directly involve the Sixers, it sure affects them in a few different ways. First off, you can remove the Pelicans as a trade destination for Jahlil Okafor at this point. That being said, apparently a deal between the Sixers and Pelicans was close last week. According to a few reports, Philadelphia was offered Tyreke Evans and a 2017 first rounder for Okafor, but no move was made.
Pels offered Tyreke Evans, 2017 1st rounder and future pick for Jahlil Okafor. Same package for Cousins, but with Buddy Hield added. BUDDY!
— Sean Deveney (@SeanDeveney) February 20, 2017
Deal for Okafor was very close, per source. But Philly and NOLA could never agree on protections for the picks included.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) February 20, 2017
Before you start insulting Bryan Colangelo again, his inability to get a deal done with New Orleans for whatever reason has seemingly put the Sixers in an even better position in future drafts. When Sam Hinkie traded pretty much nothing to acquire Nik Stauskas, pick swap rights and a future pick from the Kings in the summer of 2015, it was highway robbery. At this point, it's highway robbery with a side of taking candy from a baby.
When you remove Cousins from the Kings, their play on the court will surely get worse, putting Philadelphia in a position to not only swap picks in the deep 2017 draft, but also cash in on the unprotected 2019 pick down the road. The Kings 2019 first rounder will more than likely be a high-end pick headed Philadelphia's way with the team now without their superstar center. It also gives Bryan Colangelo the opportunity to use that pick as a trade chip if the Sixers look to acquire a star like Jimmy Butler or Paul George.
In terms of the pick swap, the Kings are just 2.5 games ahead of the Sixers record-wise, so it really shouldn't take a whole lot for Philadelphia to surpass them over the final 26 games with the way they have been playing as of late. If the Kings get a higher pick than the Sixers in the draft, Philadelphia has the rights to swap picks thanks to Hinkie's dealings with the Kings back in 2015.
While the fate of Jahlil Okafor is still an unknown with four days until the trade deadline, there's no doubt that the Sixers draft assets just got better thanks to the Kings unloading their superstar center to the Pelicans. Meanwhile, a duo of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins could make the Pelicans a more serious player in the Western Conference playoff picture. They currently sit 2.5 games behind the Nuggets for the eighth seed.
