There were two notable debuts in the game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Houston Rockets. One of these players had a major role in his team's impressive win.
Rodger Sherman of The Ringer took note of that game and offered this introduction: "The big new acquisition made his presence felt in the game between the Rockets and the Pelicans. I think we all knew the trade would make his team better, but it was stunning to see how quickly he adjusted. He just looked so happy to be on a contender after spending so long playing for a cellar-dweller. He even outscored his new team's established star."
Surprise, it's not DeMarcus Cousins but Lou Williams, formerly the top scorer of the LA Lakers, unleashed in a Mike D'Antoni offense. He scored 27 points on 7-of-11 3-point shooting while MVP candidate James Harden only needed to chip in 13 points but dished 14 assists. The ending was a 30 points massacre: 129-99.
In the meantime, the Kings actually won their first game without Boogie over the Denver Nuggets. While Sacramento was allegedly thinking about keeping their draft pick (top 10 protected) from being sent to the Bulls, the team did not help on that end, but they'll take the win.
Strange debuts from the two teams involved in the "Big trade" of the season. Of course, they had different opponents. The Rockets are a legitimate top-four team in the West (top 5 in the NBA) and Williams is exactly what they needed.
This question was asked by Tom Ziller of SB Nation, albeit half in jest. However, we should not forget that there were teams that stood pat instead of taking Cousins. The Celtics declared that they were not interested at all. The Lakers would not ship out Brandon Ingram for him.
The Kings were already preparing for this trade. They have drafted centers since last year starting with Willie Cauley-Stein, who had a career-night the first game that Cousins was officially off the roster.
The $200 million contract scared them off, as offering that would be the point of no return for them. Now, the Kings are free to start again, and despite all of the harsh judgments and criticism, perhaps that's what they really wanted.