Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins dunks the ball over the Boston Celtics in a game last season. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics have been collecting young assets and draft picks to place themselves in the best position for a blockbuster trade.
Most of the Celtic fans understand this, as they are one of the most astute fan bases in the league owing to a rich, winning basketball tradition. Thus, they understand what Danny Ainge has done when he traded away Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets.
The divide between the futures of the Nets and the Celtics are night and day because of that trade, with Boston armed with a wealth of assets and the Nets practically doomed.
But those assets are supposed to translate into a franchise player. Ainge admitted that Boston, despite its tradition, is simply not a free agent destination. Thus, securing franchise players could only be done through trades and the draft.
So why would they not trade for DeMarcus Cousins, arguably the best big man in the NBA?
In the Celtics Beat podcast, guest Jeff Goodman from ESPN gave his own hot take on the DeMarcus Cousins trade issue.
"I wouldn't take DeMarcus Cousins in Boston," Goodman said "I'm not the biggest fan. I don't think he's the right fit for Brad Stevens."
He added: "I don't think he's a winning basketball player, I don't think he's got any leadership capabilities, I think he's already been proven to be a coach killer," Goodman said "I love his talent, he's so talented, but I think DeMarcus Cousins and Brad Stevens would be a train wreck."
It's surprising, but the fans are also not sold on the idea. At the Celtics blog Hardwood Houdini, the reporters extensively weighed the pros and cons of trading for DeMarcus Cousins centering on the talent vs. attitude debate and they arrived at the conclusion that trading for Cousins at this time is not the best course of action.
"If the Celtics wait until the asking price is the lowest, they should consider a DeMarcus Cousins trade because, yes, he is THAT good. It won't hurt to offer lesser picks (perhaps Dallas' pick?) and some combination of youngsters like Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, James Young, RJ Hunter, etc."
They also note that the Celtics should not sacrifice any of the unprotected Brooklyn Nets picks. Cousins could also a free agent by the summer of 2018 and they could sign him then when the Celtics have possibly strengthened from the picks they got from Brooklyn.
