The NBA trade rumors continue and the DeMarcus Cousins sweepstakes may boil down to two teams with an arsenal of trade assets.
The Denver Nuggets reportedly want to take the next step and end their status as an also-ran in the Western Conference who could only manage the first round of the playoffs at best.
According to an article from Sean Walsh of Mile High Sports, the Nuggets are the best team for Boogie. "If Cousins would fit in anywhere, it would be in Denver. He would get to play with a fellow Kentucky alumnus in Murray and also be reunited with the one head coach he enjoyed playing for in the NBA, Michael Malone. The Nuggets could add an All-Star and Cousins could get a chance to start anew."
Walsh argued that "Cousins does not want to be in Sacramento and Denver has too many talented players on their roster."
Speculation abounds that the Nuggets are ready to assemble a package centered on Kenneth Faried but they can also add Wilson Chandler, Gary Harris, Will Barton, Jameer Nelson and maybe even Emmanuel Mudiay. Perhaps the only untouchables would be Nikola Jokic and Danilo Gallinari but if push comes to shove for Denver, they might just include those pieces.
The only caveat for the Nuggets is that those players do not project to be future superstars. While their rivals for Cousins, the Boston Celtics also does not have a superstar for a trade, the Brooklyn Nets' 2017 pick swap could prove to be a valuable asset if the Nets end up at the bottom (almost all major media outfits who made predictions place the Nets in the 28th to 30th range).
The Boston Celtics have never been in tanking mode and because of the Nets' picks, they never have to be, as Today's Fast Break illustrated.
"It's apparent that Ainge and the Celtics are in win-now mode, and acquiring Cousins would absolutely be filed as a "win-now" move. He is arguably the best center in the league, and he would instantly make Boston a clear-cut top two team in the Eastern Conference," Matthew Schmidt mentioned in TFB.
Aside from the Brooklyn Nets' pick, the Celtics can also offer Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Kelly Olynyk and Amir Johnson.
But the difference for the Celtics is that the Nets' pick could possibly have the potential to become a superstar. The value of the pick fluctuates and the Nets don't plan to be pushovers, but if the hype holds up, Harry Giles, Josh Jackson or Markelle Fultz could be better then any of the players mentioned from Denver.