The Sacramento Kings still need to make major decisions on their roster and two other teams have major needs.
A wild trade scenario proposed in Hoops Habit by Sai Mohan has the Sacramento Kings solving the DeMarcus Cousins conundrum and also trading off the players they placed on the block.
As of now, the Kings have placed Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore and Kosta Koufos on the trading block according to ESPN scribe Marc Stein. They continue to say that they are not trading DeMarcus Cousins but they have drafted two centers which gave off the impression that they are preparing for his departure.
In the trade proposal, the Kings and Milwaukee Bucks get to trade off the pieces they placed on the block (Greg Monroe for the Bucks), and get quality pieces in return.
First off the Kings will get Greg Monroe, John Henson, point guard Tyler Ennis and draft picks from the Milwaukee Bucks as well as guard Bojan Bogdanovic from the Brooklyn Nets. That's a big haul for DeMarcus Cousins, Omri Casspi and the Gay, Koufos duo.
The Milwaukee Bucks will get the best player involved in DeMarcus Cousins and instantly become an Eastern Conference contender. They also get Omri Casspi in the deal. They pay a steep price with Monroe, John Henson, Tyler Ennis and draft picks but it's worth it.
For the Nets, jumping in and sending off Bogdanovic allows them to take Rudy Gay and Kosta Koufos. They still have enough cap space to absorb their deals.
To have a better view of the trade, here's the ESPN trade machine link.
The Sacramento Kings end the Cousins' drama and they get to trade two centers for one in return (Monroe). While Monroe is a downgrade from Cousins, Henson is an athletic power forward who can play alongside the other centers that the Kings still have. Ennis adds another needed point guard and even Bogdanovic can run plays and provide offense.
The Kings also get the Bucks draft picks to rebuild, but they are still a competitive team in the West. It could even be argued that losing Cousins could be what the team needs in the long term.
The Bucks finally take the leap from Eastern also-ran to an actual contender in Cousins and they get to make this trade without decimating their young core (Antetokounmpo, Parker and Middleton).
This trade proposal from Mohan may encounter some criticism from the Kings as they would feel the return for Cousins is not enough. Perhaps adding Middleton or Parker in the mix is needed.