DeMarcus Cousins (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The NBA trade rumors continue and one name that's slowly creeping into play is DeMarcus Cousins.
It was mentioned that the Sacramento Kings are unlikely to trade DeMarcus Cousins since they would want to try out how he fits in with new coach Dave Joerger. However, the Kings' actions during draft night cast doubt on that assumption.
The Kings traded their no.8 picks to pick two more centers, aside from Kosta Koufos, Willie-Cauley Stein and Cousins himself. The team has real needs all around, specifically at the point guard position and it was surprising that they did not bother to address those needs.
Thus, there is already buzz that Sacramento might be negotiating Cousins' departure already. With Kevin Durant's choice to join the Golden State Warriors and making them a powerhouse team, the Cleveland Cavaliers were expected to make a move.
In a report from The Inquisitr, Jason Fletcher cited multiple sources which claimed that there were already talks of sending Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert for DeMarcus Cousins and Ben McLemore.
From a positional standpoint, the trade easily makes sense since the Cavs need a real center after the departure of Timofey Mozgov. They want to use LeBron James at the power forward spot and Love is at a disadvantage defensively when he plays the center spot.
On the other hand, Love also fills the need at power forward. The Kings sometimes places Cousins at that spot alongside Cauley-Stein, and now they have two other centers. Love would be a better fit since it's his natural position.
But there are also other teams aspiring to acquire Cousins and the Boston Celtics have claimed that "their phones are ringing" according to CSNNE and they are in negotiations for a "difficult player." The description definitely fits Cousins' alley.
If the claims are true that there's a bidding war between Cleveland and Boston in an Eastern Conference arms race, the question is which team would make the better offer?
The Cavs could hypothetically offer Kevin Love-a real star that the Celtics can't match (unless they send newly-signed Al Horford, which they won't). The Kings could still ask for a future first-rounder but with the Cavs, it's likely a low pick. The Cavs also can't address the Kings' need at point guard. Basically, it's just Love for Cousins and Shumpert as a slight upgrade over McLemore (who George Karl refused to use).
The Celtics could offer a myriad of choices. They have point guards to offer (Marcus Smart or Terry Rozier), power forwards (Kelly Olynyk or Amir Johnson) who would be dispensable since Horford moves to PF when Cousins arrives and prime draft picks.
If the Celtics offer a point guard, a power forward and a future draft pick (probably one of the Brooklyn picks) that could be a better package for the Kings. However, it is still unclear how GM Vlade Divac would weigh it.
