Pelicans breathing down Nuggets' necks after acquiring DeMarcus Cousins

Heading into the All-Star break, the Denver Nuggets held a healthy but minimal 1.5 game lead over the Sacramento Kings for the eighth seed in the Western Conference, a two-game lead over the Portland Trailblazers, and a 2.5 game advantage over the New Orleans Pelicans, who looked like they’d begin to turn their attention towards the 2017 lottery after this weekend’s festivities passed.

Instead, New Orleans managed to pull off the biggest trade deadline coup in recent memory, reportedly agreeing to trade Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway Tyreke Evans, a top three protected 2017 first-round pick and a 2017 second-round pick to the Kings for DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi.

In Cousins, the Pelicans get a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA Second Team selection, who’s arguably the most talented and skilled big man in the league. The 26-year-old is averaging 27.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists this season.

A top-10 talent like Cousins in New Orleans alongside Anthony Davis, makes this race for the West’s final playoff spot much more interesting. It’s a shock to the established system of middling Western Conference teams and a power move from an organization desperate for a playoff birth which with Cousins, is surely in reach.

The Nuggets hold a 1-0 season series advantage over the Pelicans after topping New Orleans on opening night in the Big Easy. The two teams play three more times this season; March 26 in Denver, April 4 in New Orleans and then April 6 back in Denver.

How the Nuggets will defend Cousins and the new-look Pelicans in those three matchups is anyone’s guess and it will take time for Cousins and head coach Alvin Gentry to implement an effective offensive gameplan that plays to both Cousins’ and Anthony Davis‘ strengths.

However, if New Orleans is able to gain a cohesive identity between their two stars on both ends of the floor and pair them effectively with point guard Jrue Holliday, the Pelicans will push the big man revolution that’s slowly taking the league by storm to new heights.

Could this lighting rod push Denver to pursue other avenues to strengthen their roster?

Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari have been the two pieces most often mentioned in trade rumors leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline. The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Sunday “to watch” for the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder regarding Chandler, while a report from the Boston Herald claimed the Celtics have interest in Gallinari, as they’ve shown in the past.

Currently speaking, the Nuggets have the talent to hold onto the eighth seed. Denver is still the league’s second-best offense since they inserted Nikola Jokic into the starting lineup on Dec. 15 and will get some much-needed help on the injury front with Chandler, Gallinari, Kenneth Faried and Emmanuel Mudiay all expected to return from various ailments in the near future.

Newly acquired big man Mason Plumlee‘s role as a backup center who can also play with Jokic in Denver’s frontcourt will be magnified in the coming months as well. Denver plays the Pelicans twice in a four-day span over the season’s final week when the eighth seed could be up for grabs and Plumlee playing with Jokic is likely the Nuggets’ best kryptonite for a Davis-Cousins frontcourt.

Also working in Denver’s favor is that the Nuggets’ first game after the All-Star break is ironically in Sacramento against the Cousins-less Kings. Denver plays Sacramento twice more after Thursday; at home on March 6 and on the road March 11.

The race for the eighth seed in the West just got a lot more interesting.