DeMarcus Cousins in the Big Easy rocks fantasy outlook for both teams

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Here are the fantasy implications following the news PF/C DeMarcus Cousins has been traded from the Sacramento Kings to the New Orleans Pelicans for SG Buddy Hield and other components:

It's tough to recall a real-life move with this much of a profound impact on two top-10 fantasy talents -- Cousins and Pelicans PF/C Anthony Davis, two superstars who are very similar in terms of their versatility across all fantasy categories.

Cousins has had the edge as an offensive scorer and playmaker, while Davis can tap into his athleticism for a more profound impact in the defensive categories. Both can bully defenses in the paint, or pop out to be a realistic 3-point threat for their size.

And they both love to facilitate from the elbows -- near the corners of the free-throw line -- where Cousins and Davis currently rank second and fifth in the league in touches per game. That's the most concerning part to me; you can't have both superstars within arms-length of the other while running the offense through the elbow. They both need room to operate.

Someone is going to be pushed out of their preferred real estate, and while dreams of a Boogie-Davis pick-and-roll or a Davis-Boogie pick-and-pop is tantalizing, it's impossible to envision them sustaining their top-10 production. All we can do is guess until we see what Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry has in store, but you can drop both players into late-teens to early-20s in your rest-of-season rankings as a start.

With less than a month until the fantasy playoffs in most standard head-to-head leagues, fantasy owners fighting for a postseason berth should consider trading away Cousins or Davis for a package of players with predictable output. If you can get two top-25 players, there will be value in the security they bring for the playoff stretch. The same strategy applies to rotisserie formats.

Rounding out New Orleans' side of the fallout, PG Jrue Holiday's value takes a massive hit; he'll see way fewer shot attempts, and could even see a drop in assists with Cousins taking away some playmaking duties. And with Cousins and Davis taking up the vast majority of frontcourt minutes, SF/PF Terrence Jones will be a streaming option at best. He's dropable in all but the deepest leagues.

The Kings present an opportunity for major fantasy growth across the board with the departure of their high-usage superstar -- and not much by way of ready-made NBA talent coming back in the deal. Hield will see a bump in minutes and shot attempts but since he's making only 39.2 percent of his shots, it's unlikely he'll be able to shoot himself into must-own fantasy status.

One beneficiary in Sacramento is PG Darren Collison, who on the post-Boogie Kings is the only healthy, in-his-prime veteran with a proven track record of success in fantasy basketball. He had averaged 15.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and four assists per game since SF Rudy Gay's season ended in injury a month ago. Expect more shots and rebounding opportunities but fewer assists; a rest-of-season line of 18-3-3 is plausible.

SG/SF Tyreke Evans is also in the deal, returning to the team which drafted him in 2009. He started the season on the injury list and has managed only 18 minutes per game when active but if he's healthy enough to play 24-to-30 minutes a night, he'll have top-120 potential. That's a big if for someone who has made just 51 appearances over the last season and a half. Don't hold your breath.

And finally, keep an eye on PF/C Willie Cauley-Stein. With the team entering full-on tank mode, there's no reason not to play him 30-plus minutes per night down the stretch.

In 12 career games where Cauley-Stein has played 30-plus minutes, he averages close to 11 points and nine rebounds, with over a block and a steal per game. This puts him in a class of young centers with unpolished games on offense such as Jusuf Nurkic and Nerlens Noel of the Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively. Both have been worthy of ownership when guaranteed a steady workload, so it might be time to free Willie as well.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)