3 Ways the DeMarcus Cousins Trade Affects Dallas

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Feb 18, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Wesley Matthews (23) competes in the three-point contest during NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

1.) 2017 Playoff Chances

Nobody knows how exactly the Cousins and Davis pairing will work, but they will be significantly better than they once were.

Going into the home stretch, the teams fighting for the last seed out west with the Mavericks were the Kings, Nuggets, Pelicans, Blazers, and Timberwolves. Even though the trade takes the Kings out of the equation, it vaults the Pelicans up obviously.

I would rank these fighting teams in the following tiers now.

Tier One: Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans

Tier Two: Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves

The task of making the playoffs was already steep, but with the pairing in New Orleans now, it became even steeper.

Next: 2018 & Beyond