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Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Cleveland Cavaliers Get: DeMarcus Cousins

New Orleans Pelicans Get: Tristan Thompson and 2018 first-round pick (via Brooklyn)

Why the Cavs Say Yes:

There are a few ways to justify this from the Cavs' perspective. Ideally, Cleveland would back-channel an agreement with Cousins about staying with the Cavs on a max-salary extension this summer. Otherwise, there's no sense in giving up the Brooklyn pick, the franchise's only long-term asset of any significance.

Getting Cousins to stick around could go a long way toward keeping LeBron James beyond this year, too.

Even if the Cavs can't reach an illegal wink-and-nod agreement on Cousins' contractual future, they might want to consider this move anyway.

Nobody knows where James will play next season, and if the Cavs were sure the Brooklyn pick would fall at the top of the lottery, this would be a different conversation. But the Nets are far from guaranteed to finish with the league's worst record. In fact, that seems downright unlikely with so many teams—namely the Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks—trailing the Nets in the win department.

Thus, it isn't a question of going all out to win before James leaves or building for the future around that prized pick. Instead, it's more like "go all out to win before James leaves because that pick might not be worth all that much."

The Cavs missed out on Eric Bledsoe. They don't know when Isaiah Thomas will be back or what he'll look like when he is. Cousins could be a game-changer against Boston (currently running away with the conference) and whoever comes out of the West.

This is a short-term, semi-desperate move with limited downside—especially if the Nets pick winds up being outside of the top five.

Why the Pelicans Say Yes:

They'd have to be sure of Cousins' intention to leave in July for this to be a no-brainer. If New Orleans has a chance to keep him, it's difficult to sell Thompson and a first-rounder being worth as much as him.

But uncertainty is a major component here. The Pelicans have to consider the darkest timeline.

Is Thompson and a first-rounder worth more than...nothing? Because that's the easy calculation New Orleans would have to make if signs pointed to Cousins departing in free agency. Theoretically, the Pelicans have been weighing that possibility from the moment they acquired him last February.

Unless, of course, they already have their own wink-and-nod agreement in place.