The New Orleans Pelicans were looking to make the playoffs and hopefully go on a lengthy postseason run behind their two big men in Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. Unfortunately, Cousins went down mid-season with an Achilles tear, effectively ending his season and putting a big question mark on the remainder of his career.

The Pelicans were still able to reach the NBA playoffs, and pulled off a stunning sweep of the third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers before falling to the Golden State Warriors. If they had Cousins, however, could they have overcome the Warriors?

No one knows now, but the Pelicans are going to try and do everything to re-sign the Kentucky big man. Should they sign him to a long-term deal, however, is the bigger question. An injury of Cousins' magnitude, especially considering the position he plays and the style of basketball he plays, could mean that he won't return as the same player he was before the injury.

According to Adrian Wojanrowski of ESPN, who appeared on the network's mock draft segment called On The Clock on Tuesday afternoon, the Pelicans will try to sign Cousins to a short-term deal to see how he plays coming off the injury and go from there.

https://twitter.com/BlazersBySagar/status/1004144430150873088

This is a smart move on the Pelicans' side. They don't want to commit a lot of money and years to a star who won't be playing at the level they're expecting him to because of the injury. Anthony Davis' future with New Orleans may hinge on them re-signing Cousins, so the Pelicans might just need to take a huge chance and give Cousin the long-term deal he deserves.