DeMarcus Cousins and Russell Westbrook (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics could consider trading for a superstar after falling short on the Kevin Durant sweepstakes. According to the latest NBA rumors, two of the possible targets the team could consider are DeMarcus Cousins and Russell Westbrook.
The Celtics are clearly one of the few winners in this year's free agency after signing Al Horford to a four-year $113 million deal. But Boston fell short in pulling off one of the greatest offseason signing in the team's history after Durant spurn them and other shortlisted teams over the Golden State Warriors.
There is no doubt Horford is a major boost for the Celtics heading into the next season, but it is unlikely the star center alone could wheel Boston to an 18th NBA championship. With the market already out of top free agents, Jeff Clark of the Celtics Blog suggested the Celtics could look at trading for stars like Cousins and Westbrook, who have been in the heat of trade rumors this summer.
There have been speculations about Cousins getting traded in the offseason, especially after the All-Star center seemingly showed displeasure over the Sacramento Kings' draft selections last month. The Kings traded down in the draft night from No. 8 to No. 13, selecting Georgios Papagiannis, an 18-year-old European who was clearly under the radar of several teams until Sacramento decides to choose him, and a power forward in Skal Labissiere.
Probably uninteresting for Cousins as it was when the Kings brought in two young big men, Sacramento, despite signing upgrades at the wing position, added another big man in Anthony Tolliver, giving the team a logjam at the frontcourt.
The Kings' vision, according to The Ringer, may actually push Cousins on the trading block.
"Sacramento isn't actively trying to drive away DeMarcus Cousins - because that would be insane - but the team has done just about everything in its power to do so," the report claimed.
Cousins would be a perfect fit in Brad Steven's playbooks and could be the Celtics' primary offensive threat inside the paint. Acquiring Cousins, who averaged 26.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game for the Kings last season, would create a scary frontcourt with Horford, who could play his natural position at the four spot.
Another potential trade target for the Celtics is Westbrook, who has been left at the center of trade rumors following Durant's decision to join the Warriors.
Many believe the Thunder would trade Westbrook before the season starts as OKC surely thinking about not committing the same mistake of letting their star walk away without any significant returns. Despite OKC mulling about a contract extension to the star point guard, David Aldridge of NBA.com reported that "there's no chance" Westbrook agree to negotiations, especially with the cap limit expected to rise again next year.
Nate Scott of USA Today's For The Win explored possible pieces the Celtics could offer to acquire the services of Westbrook.
"If you're the Thunder, do you listen to a deal of Bradley, Jerebko, Brown, and the Nets' first-round pick in 2018? You're getting the No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft, a 3-and-D guy in Jerebko, and Bradley, who you can pair with Oladipo in a new backcourt that will be devastating defensively. All that and a future Nets first-rounder," Scott wrote.
It is a no-brainer how Westbrook's presence would affect the Celtics' chance of a serious title run. A can-do-all Westbrook would fit in perfectly playing alongside Horford and a bunch of Celtics key players, who have managed to keep the team afloat last season despite lacking a game-changer in their roster.
Certainly, trading for either Cousins or Westbrook would be very costly for the Celtics, which means the team could give up key players and future draft picks. But getting a chance to acquire any of the two aforementioned stars is a risk worth taking for the Celtics, who are now just one star player away from another title in Beantown.
