The NBA trade rumors are raging like a hurricanes in cities like Chicago, New York and Cleveland.
Not to be outdone, the latest rumor had the Pacific Division teams Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns possibly building a blockbuster-no, THE blockbuster deal involving the best center in the NBA today.
The Chicago Bulls may be reaching a breaking point and in the latest buzz, Jimmy Butler was placed in the hot seat. Ryan Russillo revealed that there was a deliberate attempt from the front office to freeze out Butler in order to lowball him in contract negotiations.
The entire narrative was chronicled in Basketball Forever, and many pundits believe it made a lot of sense. It showed the Chicago Bulls front office in a very bad light, and with former players like Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose also hinting at issues when they departed from the Windy City, it was not that hard to believe.
It was coach Tom Thibodeau who derailed the plot, which involved starting Tony Snell over Butler to reduce his numbers, because he refused to accept the extension offer.
Butler did not want to talk about it, dismissing the matter as in the past, but nevertheless, the strain on the relationship cannot be denied.
On the other hand, the Sacramento Kings are in NBA trade rumors again as Arizona Sports writer John Gambadoro claimed that the Kings are talking with the Phoenix Suns with a deal involving DeMarcus Cousins.
"The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings have had discussions about a trade involving All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins according to Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro. The discussions have centered around involving small forward T.J. Warren, center Alex Len, Phoenix's first-round pick this year and possibly more. The Suns own all of their future picks and also own two future Miami Heat first-round picks from the Goran Dragic deal."
If the Kings are indeed considering this package for Cousins, the Bulls could step in and offer Butler and possibly Robin Lopez. The Kings have their eye on the draft pick because the 2017 NBA Draft could bring in a future star guard.
However, there is still a lot of uncertainty in that package. The Suns are not assured of their draft place even if they have the second-worst record. Butler is an all-star and if the Bulls should trade him off, they should shoot for Cousins.
This is because the Bulls want to usher in a new era and surprisingly, they may even keep Rondo than Butler or Dwyane Wade. Butler and Wade seems to have separated themselves from the rest of the team, specifically the younger players. While Cousins is not an easy personality himself, his franchise-level talent is enough to build a new team around.