DeMarcus Cousins (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
Kristaps Porzingis (Photo : Elsa | Getty Images Sport)
The NBA trade rumors are easily triggered these days but nothing can be brushed aside especially when Team USA is involved.
It should be recalled that the Miami Heat superteam of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh was first concocted in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. There will also be pundits who would note that the 2010 FIBA World Championship roster saw the first union of Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala. Iggy was later traded to the Denver Nuggets and jumped at the chance to join the Warriors in his subsequent free agency. Who else was on that team? Kevin Durant.
It's a running joke that Team USA is "where superteams are born" and the recent bond between DeMarcus Cousins and Carmelo Anthony is enough to send tongues wagging (why not?).
In a video from The Sacramento Bee, Cousins was quoted "It's well-known that I have been a Melo fan my whole life so just to work with him on a daily, I think it is going to help me be a better player. I'm excited for it,"
That's the allure of Team USA for players like Cousins-and even Anthony. It gives them a chance to be champions. The effect is that players on the losing end would have a stronger longing to be on a winning team. Take LeBron James in 2008, or Kevin Love in 2012 eventually demanding a trade out of Minnesota after he felt left out when his Team USA teammates talked about their playoff experiences.
It so happens that DeMarcus Cousins' contract expires at the end of the 2017-18 season. Carmelo Anthony has a player option at the end of the same season. The two players could sign on the same team.
But why would a trade seem necessary? Carmelo Anthony is not a spring chicken anymore and these next two seasons could be his prime.
There is only one trade asset that the Sacramento Kings would even consider from the Knicks and that is Kristaps Porzingis. A concept of a Porzingis-Cousins trade is not entirely new, it was already thrown off by Bill Simmons, aka The Sports Guy.
3-way deal: Boogie to the Knicks, Porzingis to Boston, Lopez plus Boston's unprotected Brooklyn 2016 pick to Sacramento... WHO SAYS NO?
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 10, 2015
Brushing off the "homer" inclusion of the Celtics, a straight up Kristaps for Boogie trade is intriguing.
The Knicks are not entirely built for the future and the offseason moves consolidate that. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah along with Carmelo Anthony would be a superteam five years ago when Rose was still an MVP. They could have been an Eastern threat if Melo signed with them in 2014. In 2016, they could simply make the playoffs.
But flipping their star of the future for a chance to make their present relevant-trading "Porzin-god" for "Boogie," should the Knicks even consider it?
The Kings would, probably in a heartbeat. Porzingis would fit with probably the league's tallest frontline. He could be a 7'3" stretch forward with the Kings' center crew. GM Vlade Divac would be commended for converting the Cousins' soap opera into one of the most promising players in the league.
What about New York, trading away the "gift of the basketball gods" to Boogie, a primetime talent with one of the most volatile personalities?
