DeMarcus Cousins (#12) (Photo : Getty Images / Andrew D. Bernstein)
DeMarcus Cousins continues to be a person of interest among NBA teams as he continues to cement his reputation as the best center in the league.
His current form in Team USA has been very impressive and shows how much better he can play (and how relaxed he would be) if he were surrounded by better teammates.
That being said, there is a destination for Cousins that has long been under the radar where he could thrive as the best player and actually win games.
Cousins is probably a top 10 talent in the league. Compared to other playoff teams like the Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and even the Memphis Grizzlies or Portland Trail Blazers, the Kings have a better best player than all of these teams. It's almost criminal (and frustrating for Boogie) that they have yet to taste the playoffs.
Sadly, Cousins talent is eclipsed by his issues on his attitude, specifically his reputation as a "coach slayer" as he doesn't seem to get along with his coaches. But there was one coach whose departure was not at all Cousins' fault. That's Mike Malone, now the coach of the Denver Nuggets, which Sean Walsh of Mile High Sports pointed out.
"If Denver was ever going to make a deal for DeMarcus Cousins, now is the time," Walsh declared. "Cousins is extremely unhappy in Sacramento. He has had issues with losing, coaching and now is questioning the Kings' future due to a questionable draft last month. If Cousins would fit in anywhere, it would be in Denver. (He will) 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."
The Nuggets have quietly built a deep core composed of veterans and young talent. They could also send a package that covers multiple positional needs for the Kings. That was outlined in Sports Illustrated Fansided post (via the Nugg Love blog) by Taylor Hunt.
In exchange for Cousins, the Nuggets will send center Jusuf Nurkic, shooting guard Will Barton and forward Kenneth Faried. The Nuggets will also include a first round pick.
Barton is a rising star and Faried still has the intensity to be a defensive force. He's quick enough to defend wing players but strong enough to guard fours. Nurkic could replace Cousins at center (though the Kings have a lot of that already).
There could be other variations of Nuggets trades as long as Nikola Jokic and Emmanuel Mudiay are not included. A package of three Nuggets players and a first rounder is fair value, not a "pennies for the dollar" type of trade.
