Over the last few months, one of the biggest names on the NBA trading block has been All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins. The trade rumors have died down since the 2015 NBA Draft with the Sacramento Kings seemingly ready to move on without making a blockbuster deal involving Cousins.
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George Karl and Cousins appeared to be a combination of star and head coach that was never going to work in Sacramento. Karl was rumored to want Cousins gone and the star center was open to the possibility of being traded to the division rival Los Angeles Lakers. Owner Vivek Ranadive has been adamant about not trading his star player convincing many that a trade would never get done, but the trade rumors have started to ramp up once again.
According to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck, Cousins may still be on the move:
“DeMarcus Cousins. Look, again, Sacramento I think wants to hold onto him. Certainly, owner Vivek Ranadive absolutely wants to hold onto DeMarcus Cousins. But I’ve been told that if you polled the rest of the organization, the vast majority are in favor of trading DeMarcus Cousins and that would include, though he denies it, Coach George Karl.”
Along with Cousins, Beck mentions Carmelo Anthony and Joe Johnson as other big-name players that could start the 2015-16 NBA season on the trading block. The New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Kings may be very active on the trade market leading up to the NBA trade deadline in February if things don’t go as planned in the first half of the upcoming season.
As for the Lakers, the front office seems content with the roster they’ve put together over the summer. Los Angeles will have a lot of young players looking to make an impression next season as well as some hungry veterans trying to prove their worth.
A blockbuster trade with the Kings for Cousins isn’t beyond the realm of possibility, but it may be a stretch, especially if Roy Hibbert proves to be the perfect fit in Los Angeles early on. The trade rumors surrounding Cousins will almost certainly continue unless the Kings show they’ve turned things around in the first two months of the season.
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