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The New Orleans Pelicans don't have to trade DeMarcus Cousins. Right now, they definitely don't want to.

Just for emphasis and to clear the air from the beginning, this article is purely speculative. We're intentionally jumping the gun, diving into potential landing spots and packages if—and only if—New Orleans' season starts trending south, leaving it no choice but to trade the big man before he hits free agency.

At this point in the season, Cousins is flat-out balling.

He's a dominant presence on the offensive end thanks to his uniquely unstoppable combination of physicality and finesse, and he's playing some of the best defense of his career. Accordingly, the Pelicans are hanging tough in the race for a Western Conference playoff spot. Even after letting the Houston Rockets storm back and prevent an upset Monday night, they're 14-14 and in possession of the seventh postseason seed.

But what if something goes wrong? New Orleans' net rating is 0.0, and it's teetering on the brink of contention despite a thin roster while depending almost entirely on its two big-name players.

If something does go wrong (and, once more, it doesn't have to), we have some options for the Pelicans to move on from the short-lived Cousins era.