DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Love (Photo : Getty Images)
The Cleveland Cavaliers are rumored to explore a trade for DeMarcus Cousins and Ben McLemore in a package involving Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert.
There is a sense the Cavs could consider adding another star after Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors joined forces in the West. But it would likely come via trade, according to The Washington Post's Tim Bontemps.
"Free agents will likely be more interested in signing there for cheap given the championship halo that will hover over Cleveland for the next year, but it still won't be easy unless the Cavaliers can reduce their payroll. That's another reason trading Love to add depth to the roster makes sense," Bontemps wrote.
One interesting target the Cavs may consider is Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, who could certainly use a fresh start after an up and down stint with the Kings.
Cousins is increasingly becoming the odd man out, with the Kings seemingly heading to a rebuild after drafting big men last month instead of a playmaker who could complement Boogie's game. The Ringer claimed this type of vision the Kings have may force Cousins out of the door.
"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. After trading down from the no. 8 pick on Thursday night, the Kings tapped Georgios Papagiannis at the no. 13 slot," the report disclosed.
It remains to be seen whether the Kings are ready to move on from Cousins, who has forced Sacramento to change coaches six times in six seasons. But if the Kings suddenly dropped an obvious bombshell of moving Cousins, the Cavs could be an intriguing trade partner for Sac-town.
Cleveland Sports Talk claimed rumors about the Cavs possibly sending Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert to the Kings for Cousins and Ben McLemore.
Love has evidently struggled playing in Cleveland, making him the likely trade bait if the team intends to add a more suitable star to play alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Shumpert, on the other hand, has been a key player to the Cavs since being traded from the New York Knicks, but his form has been slowly dropping down due to injuries and setbacks.
Adding Love would give the Kings a big man who can also score and rebound, but would complement more to a loaded frontcourt, with Love playing the four spot.
By trading for Cousins, the Cavs get another reliable offensive threat and could possibly become the team's secondary scoring option. But more importantly, acquiring Cousins would give the Cavs the ultimate weapon to counter Durant and the Warriors.
Meanwhile, McLemore gives Cleveland another athletic wing who fits very well pushing the pace for the Cavs' offense.
McLemore, who averaged a career 9.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in Sacramento, has not lived up to being the 3-and-D guy the Kings hope he could be after drafting him in 2013. But that was partly because of McLemore's lack of exposure in Sacramento. And with Arron Afflalo and Garrett Temple more likely to become the team's top options at the SG spot, there is little room for McLemore in Sacramento.
Giving him a fresh start could unleash his potential to become one of the elite two-way guards in the league, and there is no better place for McLemore to thrive than playing with James and the Cavs, where he could become a the team's starting shooting guard.
However, cap-wise, a potential deal would not work, which means the Kings and Cavs would likely tinker the proposed trade scenario a bit. But regardless of other pieces that could be involved in such deal, it truly seems a win-win situation for both teams to exchange their All-Star forwards.
