Heading into the 2017 All-Star break, the Pelicans were keen on making a move to land a center to pair alongside Anthony Davis, who has maintained on multiple occasions that he prefers to operate out of the power forward position. Names like Jahlil Okafor and Nikola Vucevic usually dominated the headlines, but Dell Demps wound up hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, or so to speak, by acquiring DeMarcus Cousins completely out of the blue.
With New Orleans in the midst of enjoying the Mardi Gras festivities, most locals were paying little attention to professional basketball.