What star will be available this season?

[DanH]

Ah crap completely forgot about that.

We really can't trade for anyone good then. Norm isn't available to use as an asset.

He is next summer, which is when I'd expect any trade to upgrade the team to happen. This year is just too much of a tightrope walk, with the team right up against the tax, limited by the hard cap, and without picks in the upcoming draft. Sadly, yes, that eliminates Cousins from the list of candidates. Even by sign and trade it would be really tough to fit him under the hard cap next summer.

[Shaolin Fantastic]

Ah crap completely forgot about that.

We really can't trade for anyone good then. Norm isn't available to use as an asset.

[DanH]

Can Norm even be traded? Just signed his extension so is he off limits for 6 months now?

Good point. I'm so much in the mindset of trades next off-season, but Cousins will be a FA by then.

[planetmars]

Can Norm even be traded? Just signed his extension so is he off limits for 6 months now?

[Shaolin Fantastic]

I think Norm+JV is an easy sell to NOLA (assuming they're OLI on the playoffs).

They have zero good wings. Norm is a very good 2-way one with good potential. Also JV plays center full-time on offense and defense, which would allow Anthony Davis to play the 4 full-time on both ends. I feel like Cousins being there with his more perimeter oriented game, forces AD to play as a 5 a lot of the time (which benefits us because that means Ibaka becomes more of a 5).

Both Powell and JV are right around AD's age so they could reconstruct a new team around them and Jrue going forward.