Lowe's take on Boogie and his Free Agency

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The Pelicans have broached internally the idea of offering Cousins a two- or three-year deal at less than the max, per sources familiar with the discussions. I would not expect that to go over well with Cousins' camp. But the Pelicans have the dual leverage of winning without Cousins and a tepid market for him.

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Only a half-dozen or so teams have max-level space this season, and most won't pursue Cousins at that level, sources say. He doesn't make sense for rebuilding teams. Even bad teams hungry for a big jump in wins next season -- say, the Suns -- can't be confident Cousins will be ready to produce at his usual All-Star level until 2019-20, anyway. (Still: Never underestimate Robert Sarver's July 1 exuberance in the name of short-term gain.) Some teams are afraid of his baggage. There may be only two suitors among the cap-room brigade: the Mavericks and the Lakers. And L.A.'s interest is unclear. If the Lakers whiff on LeBron and Paul George, they may want to keep their cap room open for 2019 and beyond -- meaning no fat long-term deal for Cousins.

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The Pelicans and Cousins' camp could then work together to find sign-and-trade options around the rest of the league, but that's not easy, either. The Wizards are the most tempting if they bow out in the first round; Cousins and John Wall are friends, and the Wizards could build an offer around some combination of Otto Porter Jr., Kelly Oubre Jr., Marcin Gortat and a draft pick. But Washington's payroll is so bloated, they may not be allowed under league rules to obtain any player in a sign-and-trade. And given Wall's on-again, off-again knee issues, they may feel queasy committing a ton of money to Wall and Cousins.

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If the Pelicans have to choose between breaking the bank for Cousins over many years and letting him go, they would be right to let him go. They have been that good without him. The alternate path is workable enough.

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