Washington Wizards: Trading For Cousins Is Not Realistic

By Josh Wilson | Jun 24, 2015

Mar 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Kings defeated the Suns 108-99. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Maybe it’s the offseason, or maybe the DeMarcus Cousins bug has actually bit every single fan base in the league, but everywhere I look lately, I see more and more Washington Wizards fans discussing the possibility of trading for Cousins. Cousins has been put on the Sacramento Kings‘ trading block by head coach George Karl.

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In the context of many other teams in the NBA, a trade for Cousins makes a lot of sense. His 24 points per game and 12.7 rebounds are statistics almost every team would welcome if they could. And his speed, despite being a big man, to get down the court for big slam dunks is something everyone would also want, including Washington.

I get it. Cousins is a great player, and of course Wizards fans are going to be discussing options of getting great players, especially during the offseason. Let’s not forget, however, that the Wizards do already have a surplus of players that allowed them to contend in the playoffs this year.

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Even with the looming rumors of Paul Pierce moving on to the Los Angeles Clippers, there’s players like Bradley Beal, the up-and-coming Otto Porter, and even the inconsistent Nene Hilario all being rumored to have to give up in order to get Cousins.

CBS Sports compiled a trade scenario for all 30 teams in the NBA, and for the Wizards, they had them giving up Beal, Martell Webster, and Nene. They use this to leverage the continued discussion of Kevin Durant coming to play for Washington.

"For the Wizards, they put Cousins and John Wall together like it’s their Kentucky days. Then they try to convince Durant to come play in his home area with them and they all take on LeBron James in the East. This is my favorite Big Three of the future."

Seriously, the thought of losing Beal alone to get Cousins makes my stomach start to turn. Beal is a part of an amazing back court system with John Wall, and they get better every year working together. Splitting that duo up is not something I’m wanting to see happen, just to reunite Wall and Cousins who played college ball together.

In addition to this, I don’t think the Wizards’ front office is really all that interested in Cousins at the moment. Sure, they might offer up some players for trade if they received a call, but plenty of other teams really want Cousins, meaning they will offer more than a team that just kind of wants him.

If a bidding war occurs between multiple teams, and the Wizards are involved, I’m willing to bet they’d be one of the first parties out.

Not only this, but having to give up so much to get just one player is dangerous. Cousins is a great player who could help the Wizards get deeper in the playoffs, but let’s not forget that a lot of these players that are being discussed as components of the trade helped the Wizards get to where they are now. Could Cousins really make up for all of their efforts? I seriously doubt it.

A Reddit user suggested a trade that seems like something the Kings would want, but it takes away so much from the Wizards.

"DEN gets: Rudy Gay, Marcin Gortat, Nene (expiring), pick 6, pick 19SAC gets: Ty Lawson, pick 7, Otto Porter, Kenneth FariedWAS gets: DeMarcus Cousins"

Sending away all of this for one player? Please no… Although this saves us from losing Beal, I don’t think Cousins is worth the potential that Porter brings who really broke out in the playoffs this year. In addition, as much as people find Gortat and Nene to be inconsistent, I think they’re valuable members of the team.

If this trade was for simply Gortat and Nene, it would look much more attractive. And who is to say that the Kings would bite on even this trade? They could be looking for even more.

Altogether, getting Cousins really seems to be the offseason bug that is biting everyone. No more games to talk about, and not much to discuss until the draft, so why not think about what it would take to get Cousins? Realistically thinking, however, it just does not seem doable considering what other teams are going to be offering Sacramento, and what the Wizards would lose to get him.

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