Phoenix Suns: Pros And Cons Of Trading For DeMarcus Cousins

Con: Why The Suns Might Struggle To Re-Sign Him

That being said, the money advantage is no guarantee Boogie would re-sign in Phoenix after a trade. He’d be going from one dysfunctional franchise to another that’s largely seen as dysfunctional, only the Suns wouldn’t have the advantage of Cousins getting to know their city and organization over seven years like the Kings have.

Boogie loves Sacramento and has said so many times, and with that Designated Player Extension, he’d make more than $200 million re-signing with the Kings. The Suns don’t get to offer him that same deal if he’s traded, meaning they’d be missing out on an extra $50 million of negotiation leverage.

Would Boogie develop the same kind of love for Phoenix that he has for Sacramento? In the year and change leading up to his free agency, would the Suns be enough to assemble a contender and prove they’re worthy of his services for the long haul?

As much as Phoenix would have a major fiscal advantage over other suitors, we saw this past summer that money isn’t everything when Kevin Durant turned down the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors.

The new CBA will help KD make that money up this summer, but the point still stands: These superstars are extremely competitive, and after leaving a non-playoff team in the Kings, Boogie might not be as patient when he could join a possible contender in free agency.

There would undoubtedly be suitors all over the place if Cousins reaches his 2018 free agency, and if that happens, the Suns would run the risk of surrendering a massive trade package only to lose him after a year of his services — especially if they missed the playoffs in 2017-18.

The sway of Bledsoe and the financial incentives would give the Suns the inside track to keeping Cousins long-term, but the risk of losing him and wasting all those assets for nothing shouldn’t be swept under the rug either.