(NEW ORLEANS) — In the following hours after star Pelicans forward Anthony Davis won his first All-Star game MVP in New Orleans, all while shattering Wilt Chamberlin’s all-star scoring record with 52 points, Pelicans General Manager Dell Demps made a trade that not only shook the Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings, but the entire NBA.

Demps made a bold move that sent rookie guard Buddy Hield, former Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans, and guard Langston Galloway — also including a Top 3 protected first round pick and a second round pick to the Kings — for All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins and guard Omri Casspi. Many think that Dell Demps robbed the Kings, and that Kings General Manager Vlade Divac “sold a cow for magic beans.”

According to Divac, “Buddy Hield has Steph Curry potential.” But he also had said before the trade, “Cousins would never be traded.”

Demps had been looking for a trade partner for an extensive period of time before this trade. A week before the move, Demps almost made a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers for center Jahlil Okafor, but those talks died down as it led to the All-Star Break. The Indiana Pacers were considering a trade offer from the Pelicans for superstar small forward Paul George. Those talks died down as the talks for DeMarcus Cousins started to heat up.

When the trade actually went through, many people were completely shocked that the Kings would give up such a high-caliber player for three mediocre players and two draft picks. Some were saying the Pelicans gave up too much, but if you were to put together all three of the players that the Pelicans gave up for Boogie, you would get Boogie’s point average for the season.

Following the trade, rumors surfaced that the Pelicans would raise ticket prices due to their new valuable acquisition.

“We are sticking to the same single-game pricing that we had prior to the trade,” Carter Knight, a ticketing official with the Pelicans, said. “Basically a price freeze has taken place.”

Knight continued, “This is the biggest time in New Orleans basketball history since CP3,” referring to former New Orleans Hornets superstar Chris Paul (jersey number 3), who was traded to the Clippers in 2011.

Since the Cousins trade, the Pelicans have not won the games everyone expected them to, nevertheless, ticket sales have been on the rise.

“We had a huge spike in revenue the first week after and since the trade, and we are steadily increasing.” Knight said.

With four wins and seven losses with Boogie, many people are saying the trade was a failure. However, Cousins has put up extraordinary numbers since the trade. Boogie is averaging 21 points, 12 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal.

Cousins and Davis are known to be good friends and are both alumni of Kentucky, and the city of New Orleans hopes this could be the best big-man duo in NBA history.

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SPS Reacts:

Senior Mark Larson offers his thoughts on the topic. 

Co-written by Jordan Kliebert.