Jimmy Butler and DeMarcus Cousins (Photo : Getty Images)
The NBA trade rumors continue for DeMarcus Cousins, easily one of the most coveted players in the NBA.
That's the simple reason why he is always in trade rumors, because teams want him. The other reason is that he is unhappy, or at least perceived to be. Right now, Cousins is on top of the basketball world, literally, as Team USA steamrolls over the rest of the field in the 2016 Rio Olympics. After the euphoria of winning the gold, he needs to face up to the hot mess that is the Sacramento Kings.
Cousins' teammate Rudy Gay, one of the veterans of the team bluntly declared that he is uncertain of the direction of the team. Even Boogie himself tweeted "Lord give me strength" at a very opportune moment (when the Kings drafted Greek center Georges Papagiannis).
So the rumors are not entirely baseless and it's enough for sites to speculate on where Cousins should end up next. One of the latest teams that gained buzz is the Chicago Bulls. The Inquisitr claimed that talks are "heating up" and Sports Mockery says that "everyone is talking" about it.
The Bulls suddenly have obvious ties to Cousins. Firstly, Rondo was the former point guard of the Kings who led the league in assists last season. While not too many pundits gave credit to Rondo's achievement, it was surprising for the Kings to let Rondo walk away as a free agent without even an offer.
It was assumed that Cousins probably did not get along with the former Celtic (one of the popular reasons coaches leave Sacramento) but that was already refuted by Cousins himself when he was quoted at an interview with The Vertical: "Rondo really made my job a lot easier, offensively." It would be great if the Kings actually had a replacement in mind, but the offseason is almost over and the Kings only point guard is Darren Collison.
Cousins on the Bulls would be powerhouse on the East with Rondo, Cousins' Team USA teammate Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade. In the hypothetical trade proposals, the names floated are variations of Denzel Valentine, Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic.
Valentine is a shooting guard, but he declared at the draft combine that he is capable and willing to play the point. Portis and Mirotic add frontline depth and added shooting. If this is the actual package that the Bulls would offer, should the Kings take it?
The answer rests on Valentine and his point capability. The Kings were rumored to be in the hunt for D'Angelo Russell of the LA Lakers and he seems to be the mold of point guard that the Kings want-a playmaker who is tall enough to guard wings and can also score.
We have already seen what Mirotic can offer and while Portis can be good, he doesn't have the potential to be a game changer.
Unless the Kings feel that Cousins will make a trade demand that will put them at a disadvantage, they can probably do better than this package. Taking these three players makes them deeper, but will it help them reach any new direction? Not really.
The Kings could never get fair value for Boogie, simply because he is too valuable. But Sacramento could get players whom they can build around on if they do decide to trade the player that defined their franchise.
