NBA Trade Rumors: 6 DeMarcus Cousins Trades

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May 20, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Miami Heat center Chris Bosh (1) and guard Dwayne Wade (3) walk off the floor after defeating the Indiana Pacers in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Miami defeats Indiana 87-83. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat may not want to trade Hassan Whiteside, but they don’t have Bird rights to almost guarantee keeping him in South Beach. One way to ensure getting the most out of his value would be trading for Cousins. In fact, it would set them up nicely with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to form a unique Big Three.

Cousins and Bosh would provide a dynamic duo in the frontcourt. With Bosh’s range, the Heat can stick Cousins in the post and allow him to crash the offensive glass. With a field general point guard like Goran Dragic and a healthy Dwayne Wade to provide a flash on the perimeter would make for a complete Heat team that can contend for years to come.

The kicker is losing a veteran small forward in Luol Deng. However, rookie forward Justise Winslow is proving to be a capable two-way player out on the wing. In a deal for Cousins, it’s likely that the Heat would happily welcome Winslow, and his defense, to the starting lineup.

With Tyler Johnson showing that he is a capable backup guard and the ever-exciting Gerald Green, the Heat’s bench would be strong and deep enough to carry the team through the playoffs.

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For the Kings, they get a solid backup in Deng and a center in Whiteside that nearly matches Cousins PER; there’s a 0.7 differential. Adding McRoberts would give the Kings a legitimate starting power forward and give them depth with Koufos and Cauley-Stein coming off the bench.

The pick swap mirrors that of the Lakers’ deal, due to the NBA’s Stepien rule. The Kings would have the choice of swapping picks with the Heat if the Heat end up with a worse pick than the Kings.

If the Heat could pull off this trade, they’d be set for the next two to three years. But would the deal, as it stands, be enough to get the Kings to agree? Possibly, but a third team may be needed to complete the deal, due to the Stepien rule forbidding the Heat from sending consecutive first-round draft picks.

According to Hollinger’s trade machine, the Kings would not gain or lose any projected wins. Surprisingly enough, the Heat would be projected to lose one win this season, but would certainly be set up for a deep playoff run.

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