John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The Washington Wizards may find itself at the center of NBA trade rumors despite their adamant stance to keep John Wall and Bradley Beal together.
They were only two years removed from contending in the debate of the NBA's best backcourt. Two failed seasons later, they are on the verge of breaking up.
Since Bradley Beal signed the mammoth max deal last summer, Wall has already been on the trade rumor radar but there was still room for optimism. If the Wizards perform well, Wall might disregard all the issues. Unfortunately, the Wizards started as one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference.
Now, the rumors are real and more teams are positioning themselves as possible suitors for Wall. Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer has named the Denver Nuggets as a team in need of a point guard. Even though they have the youthful Emmanuel Mudiay, "he isn't necessarily the answer at just 20 years old, and with shaky shooting and decision-making."
For the Wizards' side, O'Connor reminds that the team is in the bottom-10 in defensive rating, net rating, assist percentage, assist-turnover ratio, as well as true shooting percentage. He suggested that "if this slide continues, maybe they should acquire a care package of youth and draft picks for their one true superstar?"
The Denver Nuggets are a team on the rise, similar to the Boston Celtics. They are filled with quality rotation players and also have draft picks but they lack a real superstar/leader/go-to guy. In short, they have the need and they have the assets to pay the price.
Which is why John Wall can actually be just "Step One" of the Nuggets rise to power. If the Nuggets trade a package of Mudiay, Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris for John Wall, they will still have enough assets to pull off a DeMarcus Cousins trade.
Cousins and Wall were college teammates at Kentucky. Denver is coached by Mike Malone, the only mentor who left Sacramento on agreeable terms with Boogie.
If Boogie makes a public request, a package of Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried and draft picks could be enough to sway the Kings. Or they could work around one of the packages suggested by SB Nation blog Denver Stiffs. In their scenario, it's Gallinari, center Nikola Jokic and Jameer Nelson. Ideally, the Nuggets would want to keep Jokic but for a chance to get both Wall and Cousins, it could be worth it.
A John Wall-DeMarcus Cousins reunion could entice free agents in 2017 to consider the Mile High City and make the team the next Western contender.
