Klay Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins (Photo : Elsa/Getty Images)
The NBA trade rumors continue to feature the Sacramento Kings as more and more players are reportedly on the block.
After Rudy Gay, Kosta Koufos and Ben McLemore, there are rumors that Willie Cauley-Stein and Omri Casspi also want out.
Many pundits believe that all the noise from the recent rumors is just a smokescreen to mask the real trade that the Kings want to execute-that of franchise center DeMarcus Cousins.
In a recent Inside the NBA feature (h/t CBS), Shaquille O'Neal, NBA legend and also a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings aired his disappointment over Cousins, specifically his lack of leadership. He went as far as to suggest a trade.
"In the previous years, he's been hot-headed, he hasn't shown great leadership qualities," O'Neal said. "I'm hearing talk that if things don't start to become correct, then they may be looking in another direction."
O'Neal minces no words and is straightforward in his stance on Cousins and his position as a minority owner adds weight to his comments. Is that the stand of the entire front office?
One team that Cousins would not have a hard time adjusting with is the Golden State Warriors. Boogie spent the better of summer with three Warriors regulars at Team USA: Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. The team shared numerous videos and pictures on social media all throughout their Olympic journey.
Trade rumors and scenarios on DeMarcus Cousins have been played around and worn out and even the Golden State Warriors were not spared. Hoops Rumors recently addressed a question on which players the Warriors should send.
There are two angles here: the players which the Sacramento Kings would ask for and the players whom the Warriors are willing to part ways with. Assuming that Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are absolutely untouchable, the pieces would be Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
But Green is the glue that holds the Warriors together. Also, losing two key players and disrupting their chemistry for a player that has been described as a "hothead" and a menace in the locker room is way too risky for Golden State, even for Cousins' talent.
The Warriors will only trade outside their top four players. That begins with Andre Iguodala and possibly Zaza Pachulia. The Warriors' draft picks are not at all attractive (late first round). If Golden State takes this stand, there's no way this can happen.
The middle ground would be Klay Thompson. While he is valuable to the franchise, he is replaceable. The Warriors could place Shaun Livingston as the starting shooting guard. However, losing any major piece for Cousins is always a risk and the Warriors don't have much reason to take it.
