Despite continued denials and conflicting reports, the Sacramento Kings are already looking at trading DeMarcus Cousins for the right package.
The declaration comes from the Sacramento Bee writer Ailene Voisin who cited the June 23 Draft, the earliest possible trade date, as D-Day for Boogie.
"The Kings' imminent challenge isn't trading DeMarcus Cousins," Voisin stated. "That will happen soon enough, preferably right around the June 23 NBA draft. The more immediate task is coexisting with the volatile center long enough for general manager Vlade Divac to hire an experienced executive who can help him negotiate a decent deal."
Voisin also mentioned some teams, which were the usual suspects: "Keep an eye on Houston, Dallas, Boston, the Lakers and the Clippers, to name a few."
There were many justifications to trade Cousins in the article. Voisin mentioned the list of coaches that Boogie had "disrespected" and it has Paul Westphal, Tyrone Corbin, Keith Smart and now, George Karl. Only Michael Malone was spared his wrath but the Kings actually fired him.
It's not all on Cousins. The Kings front office has been very inconsistent and unpredictable. They did not draft well (although the jury's out on Willie Cauley-Stein), as their lottery picks since Cousins in 2010 are almost all out of the team: Thomas Robinson and Nik Stauskas while they're trying to trade Ben McLemore. They also traded for Jimmer Fredette in 2011 and he's out of the league now.
Players still available when the Kings made their picks in 2011 had Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard. In 2012, Damian Lillard was still there as well.
The Kings could have given Cousins some big-time help with the draft, but they also failed and the frustration could be one cause of Cousins' rage.
If the Kings are indeed intent on trading Cousins, the Washington Wizards could be an option. As they are probably out of the Kevin Durant race, team site Wiz of Awes suggested trading for a star.
"The roster, as currently constructed, is ridiculously flawed," Wall has been forced to carry the load and his teammates haven't stepped up. Adding another star, even if it's not Durant, should be the team's first concern this summer."
A package of Marcin Gortat, Bradley Beal (who's a restricted free agent and the Kings could match any offer for him) and possibly Otto Porter could be a good return for Boogie. Cousins would also be reunited with college buddy John Wall.
This is an interesting scenario but it should be clarified that moving Cousins is not in the interest of keeping George Karl. Karl also had his failures and might not be with the team next season. Boogie has raised too many questions on his capacity to be the team's star and leader and their front office could not handle him anymore.