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Chicago Bulls: Should They Explore Trade For DeMarcus Cousins?

By James D. Tillman III

April 5, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) reacts during the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Sleep Train Arena. The Jazz defeated the Kings 101-95. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
April 5, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) reacts during the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Sleep Train Arena. The Jazz defeated the Kings 101-95. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chicago Bulls will not be major players in the free-agency period this offseason thanks in large part to their current salary cap situation. And although they have the No. 22 selection in tonight’s draft, there is a great chance that most or all of the impact players will be off the board by the time they are on the clock.

However, there is one interesting piece of news that has gained momentum over the past week that may be of interest to the Bulls’ front office. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Sacramento Kings coach George Karl has been in talks with management about possibly trading DeMarcus Cousins.

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The fact that a team would entertain the thought of trading an All-Star center who averaged 24 points and nearly 13 rebounds per game sounds crazy, right? Well, maybe not so much once we understand the reasons behind such talks. First of all, Cousins had a solid relationship with former coach Mike Malone.

And when Malone was fired early last season, it did not sit well with Cousins, to say the least.

Secondly, Karl has not always gotten along with former star players. For example, Ray Allen, who played for Karl while he was with the Milwaukee Bucks, had this to say following a trade that sent him to the then Seattle SuperSonics back in 2003, per Chris Sheridan of the Associated Press:

"“I started despising him. We sat down a lot, but it always ended up being him talking and me listening.”"

Another instance took place in 2011 when Karl was coaching the Denver Nuggets. He publicly questioned Carmelo Anthony’s effort on the defensive end of the floor prior to the All-Star forward being traded to the New York Knicks. And in response, Anthony sent out this message via Twitter:

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As if these examples aren’t bad enough, Karl stated that the Kings did not have one “untradeable” player on the roster at the end of the 2014-15 campaign. And being that Cousins is a solid presence on both ends of the floor, that comment was rather surprising to say the least.

So while Cousins may not be on the trading block at the moment, the writing is on the wall that this certainly could happen in the near future. That being said, there are a couple of different options the Bulls may wish to explore.

One potential option would involve a sign-and-trade scenario with Most Improved Player award winner Jimmy Butler. And if Butler decides to a sign a max deal with the Bulls, his projected salary of nearly $16 million would be nearly identical to what Cousins is expected to make next season, per CSN Chicago’s Mark Schanowski.

But with Butler coming off his best season in a Bulls uniform, the chances of such a deal materializing aren’t that great.

Feb 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) dribbles the ball against Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) during the first quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) dribbles the ball against Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) during the first quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

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    • Another trade scenario that the Bulls may choose to explore would involve Joakim Noah, Nikola Mirotic and their draft pick for Cousins and Carl Landry, per CBS Sports’ Zach Harper. While Joakim Noah is a former Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best passing centers in the league, he is coming off a season in which he averaged just 7.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest.

    Along with that, Noah was not able to play with the same intensity as he did in years past thanks to offseason knee surgery. And although Cousins may not be the easiest player in the league to coach, he would provide the Bulls with consistent production on both ends of the floor at the center position.

    With regards to Mirotic, while he certainly showed flashes of potential last season—especially when he averaged more than 20 points and seven rebounds per contest back in March—he never became a regular rotation player and he struggled during the postseason, averaging 5.7 points while shooting just 30 percent from the floor.

    And although Mirotic (10.2 PPG /4.9 RPG) has more versatility compared to Landry (7.2 PPG/3.8 RPG), the difference in their numbers from last season could be considered negligible being that Landry has averaged in double figures during his eight-year career and would more than likely reach that mark next season if he sees enough floor time.

    Whether or not the Bulls are actually interested in any trade scenarios involving Cousins remains to be seen. However, being that there are not many big men in the league who can provide that kind of production on a nightly basis, the possibility is definitely worth exploring.

    Next: 2015 NBA Mock Draft: Final Edition With DeMarcus Cousins Odds

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