With DeMarcus Cousins’ latest meltdown in Sacramento it’s pretty clear that a divorce is inevitable. Cousins’ volatility is a bad match for an organisation, that to put it mildly, has no idea. He needs a fresh start, with strong leadership (essential), and the Kings need to strip back this horrible roster. Cousins has a world of talent but he’s a Class-A knucklehead who will never reach his full potential in a wayward organisation.
So let’s take a look at some ideal landing spots for Cousins:
Boston Celtics
Possibly the perfect situation. The struggling Celtics would surely be up for the challenge of developing Cousins as a franchise center, and he could pair with Rajon Rondo to take them forward into the next era. And it could work in Beantown; they’re a rock solid organisation with a highly respected coach and have Hall of Fame veterans on the roster. And Kevin Garnett would be the perfect mentor for Cousins. As a Celtics fan I’d love to see this happen, just to shake things up a bit. Some combination of Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger and draft picks (and Boston taking on one of their bad contracts) may be of interest to the Kings.
San Antonio Spurs
Gregg Popovich and the immaculate San Antonio system is exactly what Cousins needs to maximise his talents as an NBA player. Over the next few years he could play alongside and learn from Tim Duncan and eventually succeed him as their centrepiece. But could they swing a deal? Probably not. The Kings would want Kawhi Leonard in return and that’s a no-go, but Tiago Splitter and draft picks would be available. But you can be damn sure the Spurs will kick the tyres on this one.
Chicago Bulls
They wouldn’t do it because they’re risk-averse but eventually Derrick Rose is going to need some help here (offensively) and Cousins could provide it. And they’ve got the structure to accommodate him. Perhaps Taj Gibson and the rights to European stud Nikola Mirotic would be of interest to the Kings.
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a first class organisation and Rick Carlisle is exactly the sort of no-nonsense coach that Cousins needs, so it could be a great fit. But, the reality is the Mavs have no assets, so a trade would be unlikely (ditto for Miami). Their best bet would be to bid high on him when he’s eligible as a restricted free agent, assuming they still have cap space.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Andrew Bynum experiment probably won’t work so they need to beat the bushes for a big man. Could he succeed under the emotional Doug Collins? That’s debatable, but a Cousins/Holiday foundation could be good. Philly could offer Evan Turner or Thad Young, which may entice the Kings.
Houston Rockets
They’re on a good thing now so I am not sure they’d risk it all on Cousins, but they certainly have the assets to get a deal done (Asik, Lin, all their young forwards).
Cleveland Cavaliers
Similar to Houston, they’ve got a good thing going here with some nice young players so I am not sure they’d want to mess it up with Cousins. But they’ve got the necessary assets to make such a deal (Thompson, Varejao, Zeller, draft picks).
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6 Comments until now.
Avery Bradley? Why would the kings want another undersized guard to add to their collection? The other teams you name ate just as ridiculous. Only Boston is a goer. I agree though the kings should strip the team. I would only keep isiah Thomas, Thompson, Fredette, Thornton, francisco garcia as a solid defensive shooting guard and chuck Hayes as a vet. The rest can go
Its a shame their are no better deals available, the Kings are f****d and nobody should have to play for that team.
Dont bother relocating just defunct the team and relocate to Seattle
I totally agree JT, im a C’s fan also, and i honestly think Boston is the best destination for Cousins! Immature big men like Cousins are KGs bread and butter! Dcus has all star potential, that much is clear, KG and Doc are the guys to find it!
I don’t understand all this talk on how great a player cousins is. He owns a terrible shooting percentage for a center (all be it due to his shoot selection), only slightly above average positional rebounding numbers, a terrible shot blocker and tends to find himself in foul trouble a lot. All these numbers on a terrible team where he is given every opportunity to make himself a franchise center piece. He’ll never be a star in this league.
Would love to see Cousins go to Beantown; at the moment he is not great but that’s because he has no structure. A year or two under Doc with Rondo feeding him the ball when the time is right and veterans showing him how to prepare everyday and he would be a beast.
I read some of the forum boards and half the Celtic fans want this, the other half don’t. For the life of me I can’t understand why, franchise centres are as rare as hens teeth and you grab it any chance you get. I know Bradley is all world as a defender, but still, Cousins could be a All star pretty much every year in the east.
don’t count the Wizards out boys.
Wall and Cousins are best mates, Nene has had enough of Washington, and Ernie (the worst GM in the NBA) once again will look to extend his career.
Shaun
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