Pretty much every Sacramento Kings article I’ve ever written has started with the following apology, and this one will be no different: My apologies, Sacramento Kings fans. You deserve better than this.
In case you’re still getting up to speed here, last night, while most of the world was sleeping, NBA Twitter ignited after a Woj bomb lit the joint up. According to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, Kings head coach George Karl is putting together his own little campaign within to organization to convince owner Vivek Ranadive to part ways with All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins via trade.
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That’s right folks, the infamous head coach who has consistently clashed with star players and is as well-known for his first round playoff exits as he is for his impressive number of career wins is once again trying to shop the face of the franchise. You know, the one who just so happened to average 24.1 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.5 steals per game — ALL career highs.
Per Basketball-Reference, the only players in NBA history to put up a 24-12-3-1-1 stat line over the course of a season are Boogie, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Garnett, David Robinson and Bob McAdoo. Considering those guys are all in/going to be in the Hall of Fame…yeah, this is a pretty stupid conversation.
🌾🐍🌾
— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) June 23, 2015
According to Woj’s report, Ranadive is not yet on board with Karl’s superstar witch hunt, so there’s still hope that the Kings will choose their top-10 player over a coach who seems to have forgotten the value of a top-10 player.
But in the event Karl is able to sway the rest of the front office, especially now that this Boogie’s feelings toward this irreparable player-coach relationship could begin to extend toward management, we have to do our due diligence.
It’s time to dive into the misery with a look at the top five potential trade partners in the event of a DeMarcus Cousins trade, both in terms of likelihood and the value of the return.
Honorable Mentions: Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards
Next: No. 5
5. New York Knicks
According to Woj’s report, neither Karl nor Ranadive would be interested in a trade that doesn’t haul in some established, veteran players. They’re not looking to stockpile draft picks with the Kings moving to a new arena soon, so a full-scale rebuild doesn’t interest Ranadive. From Karl’s perspective, he’s closing in on the NBA’s all-time win record, so he doesn’t want to start from the ground up either.
From the New York Knicks‘ perspective, they have a trade in their back pocket that could seal the deal. It’s messy, it’s scary and it would involve betraying the current face of the franchise. That’s right, New Yorkers. If you want a shot at Boogie, you’re going to have to part ways with Carmelo Anthony.
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This would be a risky endeavor for Sacramento. Melo is already 31 years old, he’s on a MEGA five-year, $124 million contract that extends over the next four years and he’s coming off knee surgery to repair his patellar tendon. If I’m a Kings fan, I’m sadly shaking my head right now, praying this offer never sees the light of day.
From the Knicks’ perspective, this is a slam dunk. Melo is vastly misunderstood and underrated as a once-in-a-generation scorer who never had the luxury of playing with the same caliber of teammates that the man he is always compared to — LeBron James — had the pleasure of playing with. But Boogie is younger and therefore has a higher ceiling than Melo’s twilight years…at a fraction of the cost.
Ranadive would get his star, probably the best player on the table out of all these hypothetical scenarios. But there’s one complication: a George Karl-Carmelo Anthony reunion seems about as likely as it is that the Kings aren’t screwing themselves with this whole potential Cousins trade, so perhaps this won’t happen after all. Moving on.
Next: No. 4
4. New Orleans Pelicans
There is no frontcourt combination that would be more terrifying for the foreseeable future than pairing DeMarcus Cousins with Anthony Davis on the New Orleans Pelicans. Forget any spacing issues, forget any attitude issues with Boogie, forget the stupid, inevitable “who takes the last shot?” questions. That frontcourt tandem would devour galaxies together.
Even better, the Pelicans have the sort of overrated assets to offer that Karl and Ranadive might view as the “established veterans” they’re looking for. With Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Ryan Anderson serving as potential options, the Pelicans would probably have to throw in multiple future draft picks to sweeten the deal.
But the Kings might not balk at such an offer from New Orleans. They don’t want just future draft picks, otherwise they’d probably be talking to the Boston Celtics. But Holiday would be a vast upgrade at point guard, while a trade for Evans would bring home an old fan favorite who never got his chance to shine playing in the wrong situation with underwhelming teammates.
Maybe we’re dreaming here, but New Orleans has some decent assets to put on the table and although they’d need some serious help rounding out the roster after a deal like this, their frontcourt would be nigh unstoppable on both ends of the floor.
Next: No. 3
3. Los Angeles Lakers
It feels like the Los Angeles Lakers are always going to be in these types of discussions, even when they really don’t have the assets to deserve it. If the Kings really aren’t interested in the Lakers’ No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft as Woj reports, what is L.A. going to throw at them? Nick Young and all three of their draft picks? That’s nowhere near enough for a player of Boogie’s caliber on that steal of a contract.
The Lakers could sweeten the deal, of course, by abandoning their youth movement. Not many franchises can change their minds on the direction of their rebuild mid-rebuild, but with plenty of cap space and the lure of Los Angeles on their side, perhaps the Lakers would be willing to move on from Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle as well to try and entice Sacramento?
That being said, those would have to be the sweeteners in a deal, not the main substance. Neither Karl nor Ranadive wants a rebuild, so even though Clarkson and Randle have bright futures in this league, they’re not enough to be worth parting with Boogie for.
You know what is a sensible trade for Cousins? Kings get No. 2, No. 27, No. 34 and Julius Randle. Lakers get Cousins.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 23, 2015
Something like Randle and the Lakers’ three picks this year (No. 2, No. 27 and No. 34) as suggested above by New York Post beat writer Tim Bontemps might get the job done for a more sensible franchise that would be willing to undertake a rebuild through the draft, but the Kings are not that franchise. They want to win now.
For that reason, it’s hard to see how the Lakers fit into this equation, even with their well-documented interest in Cousins. You can never count them out in these conversations, but unless Kobe Bryant himself descends from the clouds to the trade block, a deal with the Lakers isn’t happening for Sacramento.
What's the problem? Kings are trying to win right now when they can't. So instead of hitting the reset button, they'll try to do it halfway.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 23, 2015
Next: No. 2
2. Denver Nuggets
It would not surprise me in the slightest if the Denver Nuggets wind up being the main trade partner in a deal for DeMarcus Cousins.
Hell, we might even see a three-team deal where Boogie doesn’t even end up in the Mile High City, but you can be guaranteed the Nuggets will be trying to unload the troublesome Ty Lawson and overpaid Kenneth Faried in a deal that either nabs them Cousins or a higher draft pick.
From Sacramento’s perspective, a Cousins trade centered around Lawson and Faried would be an awfully lousy haul, even if Denver threw in the No. 6 pick. If the Kings aren’t interested in Los Angeles’ No. 2 pick, they’re probably not going to be wooed by the addition of the sixth overall selection.
That being said, there’s a possibility Karl’s influence wins the day in this scenario. Think about it. This is a head coach who apparently has so much influence already that he’s trying to convince the front office to deal its top-10 player. Since we’ve already branched this far into absurdity, is it really so hard to believe he might want to manufacture a trade that brings in two former players of his that he’s comfortable coaching?
The Kings need an upgrade at point guard, and for all his troubles off the court, Lawson would be an upgrade. Perhaps he wouldn’t get into so much trouble playing for a coach he respects (sorry, Brian Shaw), and maybe Karl could even coax a little more effort out of the Manimal as well.
Even better, a trade that sends Boogie to Denver would reunite him with the only coach he’s ever trusted, Mike Malone. It seems like a win-win all around…until you remember the poor Kings fans who would have to put up with a less talented, half-assed reincarnation of the 2012-13 Denver Nuggets team that (surprise, surprise!) lost in the first round of the playoffs.
Next: No. 1
1. Phoenix Suns
If the Phoenix Suns want DeMarcus Cousins, they have the pieces to make the kind of Godfather offer that no other team can make (you know, assuming the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t up and decide to trade LeBron James or something equally implausible like that).
No one on the Suns’ roster is off limits and there have been rumors about Eric Bledsoe‘s availability heading into the 2015 NBA Draft. If anyone is on the table, the Kings could have their pick at a number of talented, established players in addition to younger assets who could grow into very talented players.
Sacramento needs a point guard. How does Eric Bledsoe or a sign-and-trade for the 23-year-old Brandon Knight sound? The Kings probably want a power forward so they can finally move on from this Derrick Williams fiasco. Markieff Morris has developed into one of the league’s best one-on-one scorers for his position, he’s only 25 years old and he’s on a steal of a contract.
Space City Scoop
What about younger assets? Have your pick at 20-year-old Archie Goodwin or 21-year-old T.J. Warren, both of whom have bright futures in this league. The Kings need a center to replace Cousins? Phoenix can supply one with the 21-year-old Alex Len, who made solid strides last year and still has plenty of room to improve as a shot blocker, rebounder and potential stretch-five.
The Kings want a role player? P.J. Tucker or Marcus Morris could get the job done. How about future draft picks to sweeten the deal? The Suns have the No. 13 pick this year and all their future picks, plus incoming picks from Cleveland and Miami on the horizon. No other team can offer the kind of balanced plate of established talent, youth and future draft picks that the Suns can.
Phoenix needs a star to take the next step forward as it seems like another dramatic rebuild is on the horizon. The question is, will they make that Godfather offer? And if they do, will they make it in time?
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