Many expect the Sacramento Kings to trade DeMarcus Cousins in the foreseeable future, but it could be the other way around, with the team possibly keeping Boogie and pairing him with John Wall.
The Kings and Cousins have been the topic of trade talks in recent months, with the team bound for another disappointing season. Sean Deveney of Sporting News claimed in his report that several executives believe it is only a matter time before the Kings finally move on from Cousins poor on-court behavior.
However, there is also a possibility the Kings keep Cousins and instead explore deals that would turn the team into contenders. Following the Kings' loss to the Washington Wizards last week, Cousins added fuel to the trade rumor mill fire, saying that he hopes of teaming up with former Kentucky teammate and Washington Wizards star John Wall.
"Do we ever talk about playing with one another? Is that your question?," Cousins asked in response to a reporter's inquiries. "It's came up. They're going to all come to Sac. Come to Sac."
Cousins and Wall played together during their stint in Kentucky and have developed legit chemistry on-and-off the hard court. Sacramento has consistently failed to surround Cousins with better supporting cast and has failed to keep the All-Star happy in Sactown. But trading for another star would certainly improve the Kings' chances of locking up Cousins long-term, while giving him a chance to help the team make the playoffs.
But trading for Wall won't surely come cheap.
Wall has been the team's face since getting drafted by the Wizards as first overall pick in 2010. Wall's trade value is at an all-time high, with the All-Star point guard considered as one of the league's most talented playmakers.
With the Wizards also on course to finish at the bottom half of the standings, it could be high-time they consider trading Wall and rebuild the franchise, according to Bill Simmons.
"They're going to have to come to grips with whether they want to trade John Wall or not, and what they can get for him," Simmons said on his latest podcast via The Washington Post.
"If I'm running Washington, I would trade John Wall right now. I would just move him for picks and do a complete tankapalooza and try to rebuild and put myself in a much better spot."
Trading for Wall would require the Kings to give up some of their young big men and future draft picks. The likes of Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere and Ben McLemore could be involved in any potential deal, as well as Kosta Koufos, who has also been linked to trade rumors in the offseason. Adding a future first-rounder would sweeten up the package, providing the Wizards enough pieces to rebuild around Bradley Beal.
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has insisted he does not plan on trading Cousins. But keeping Cousins would behoove Sacramento to explore deals that would make the team better, and trading for Wall seems a intriguing option the Kings should ponder about.
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