Willie Cauley-Stein (Photo : Getty Images Sport)
The latest NBA trade rumors concerns the Lakers and a center from the Sacramento Kings-but it's not the one you're thinking.
DeMarcus Cousins and the Lakers have been involved in trade rumors for years, but this time, it's Willie Cauley-Stein, the "other" Kentucky center on the Kings roster.
Cauley-Stein has had his share of being the lesser known big man. In his career at Kentucky, he took a backseat to players like Nerlens Noel and Karl-Anthony Towns. With the Kings, he plays behind Cousins. Does he deserve a shot at being the prime center (even in the long term)?
From ESPN writer Marc Stein, the rumblings reveal that the young seven-footer may be tired of his limited role.
"Keep an eye on Kings big man Willie Cauley-Stein. Word is Sacramento is open to moving the second-year big man, who wants more of a role than he has under new Kings coach Dave Joerger," Stein stated.
The Kings are exploring trades-that's a given. They have openly placed players on the block more than any other team. Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore and Kosta Koufos are all on the block even before last season ended. Sacramento listening to offers for Cousins is the NBA's worst-kept secret.
There is a possibility that an offer for Cousins may have caught the Kings' interest and they have named WCS as an alternative, as pundits would speculate. It has been stated in a previous article that executives around the league have been asking about Boogie but came off with the impression that the price was too high.
Willie Cauley-Stein as a consolation prize may not be that bad for other teams. As shown in this pre-draft Silver Screen and Roll article, the Lakers have fancied the Wildcat with their 2015 2nd overall pick (then known only as a top 5 pick).
The Lakers have enough options on offense and what they need from the center position is a rim protector who can also guard the pick and roll.
"Cauley-Stein appears to be most comfortable with going out to the perimeter and defending against guards. Just that level of versatility could be a huge asset for a team like the Lakers, who don't exactly have the most defensively-sound perimeter unit," the article stated.
If he's on the Lakers, Cauley-Stein can eventually grab the starting center spot from Timofey Mozgov in a year or two. But the Kings may ask for Julius Randle or Jordan Clarkson for their second string big man (Kings allegedly want D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram and more for Cousins). That may not sit well for the Lakers who showed good chemistry en route to a surprising 6-4 start.
