The NBA trade rumors for DeMarcus Cousins should have ended if we believed all the press releases and statements of their teams.
A recent article from Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders wanted to be the definitive death knell to all the trade rumors.
"Fresh off his Olympic gold medal campaign, the Kings and Cousins have agreed to take a fresh-start approach to the relationship. Cousins says he likes the hiring of Dave Joerger and that everything he's heard from the team this offseason is good with him." Kyler wrote. "Incoming calls from other teams have been dismissed. There seems to be zero desire to even talk about a Cousins trade from the Kings' side."
So that's it. Cousins is not moving. Dave Joerger is a great coach with the Memphis Grizzlies and he has worked well with a center (Marc Gasol). The Kings expect him to make the most with Cousins and make the playoffs and free agency won't be an issue.
Except that it is, as Zach Harper of CBS, one of the top NBA writers and possibly considered by most to be called an "insider" himself (how does one actually qualify to be called that?), Cousins' free agency, along with other issues are understated.
"Many people around the NBA expect Cousins to leave Sacramento when he becomes a free agent in 2018," Harper wrote, and he quotes a league executive with this statement.
"They're fooling themselves if they think he's sticking around. The good news for them is his value will always be high. There isn't a point of no return in which you're not getting high value for him. Teams will bid against each other in the trade market. Maybe [Cousins] doesn't go for the biggest money in free agency but you'd love to have that card to play."
Thus, Harper believes that "the Kings should be using the next season and a half to find the best possible trade scenario in which they return a package of prospects and flexibility like the Timberwolves received when they traded Love." But the truth is, the Kings are still hoping that Joerger is the antidote and could turn around the franchise, change Cousins' mind and forget about the six seasons of mediocrity.
Harper then explored the possibility: "Are the Kings fooling themselves or does the rest of the league hoping to acquire Cousins just want to believe that? Just how likely is that pie in the sky of him wanting to stick around past 2018?"
Winning matters for Cousins, as he repeatedly stated, which is why playing for Team USA is almost therapeutic for him. In the worst case scenario that most pundits are betting on-where the Kings continue to flounder and Cousins is likely to leave, which teams are the best partners for a trade?
"Prospects and flexibility" are the keywords, but it also depends on who the Kings want. The Lakers will always be in the conversation because of the Kings' desire for D'Angelo Russell. That could be overstated but if the young prospects develop in the best way, they could pass the "audition."
The Celtics don't have the prospects yet, but keep in mind, we could be talking past the 2016-17 season. Let's say the Kings hold on to Cousins beyond the 2017 NBA Draft. Depending on where the Brooklyn Nets' pick lands, the Kings could take interest on who the Celtics drafted or the 2018 unprotected Nets' Draft.
It remains to be seen just how high the Kings are with the Boston Celtics prospects (has Ainge actually made an offer before) but the Nets' picks are likely in the cards. Boston will have the picks and that makes "prospects and flexibility" always on the table for them.