NBA Trade Rumors 2016: Willie Cauley-Stein to Celtics, Terry Rozier And James Young to Kings


The latest NBA trade rumors for 2016 involve a potential deal to send Willie Cauley-Stein of the Sacramento Kings over to the Boston Celtics. The Kings have been a team all over the trade rumor mill for the past several months, but it has normally been about their top two stars. In this instance, it’s all about one of their young talents, who could emerge as a star in the future. Cauley-Stein, a product of John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats, is being rumored as a potential player to move to a new team. Will the Boston Celtics be interested in acquiring the talents of this big man to go with the lineup they currently have?

On Sunday, the Sportsrageous website first brought up the potential trade speculation which would involve Boston getting Cauley-Stein into a Celtics uniform. In exchange, Sacramento would receive Terry Rozier and James Young. It’s mentioned that the Kings have a crowded front court situation due to the fact they drafted two more big men in the 2016 NBA draft. Joining Cauley-Stein and DeMarcus Cousins in Sacramento are Georgios Papagiannis and yet another Kentucky player, Skal Labissiere. They also have center Kosta Koufos involved in that mess of a front court, while their backcourt is what really needs to be addressed.

The Kings’ Willie Cauley-Stein is said to be unhappy with his role in Sacramento. [Image by Michael Reaves/Getty Images]

Since the Kings have so many big men in their rotation, it means not everyone is going to be enjoying adequate playing time. Cauley-Stein was said to be among those who is displeased in Sacramento right now. Add his name to the list with Rudy Gay and Cousins, both of whom have been discussed as potential trade assets. In particular, both players might test free agency in the future, giving the Kings a lot to ponder.

Lending further credibility to a potential move for Cauley-Stein is a recent comment made by ESPN’s Marc Stein, who believes the big man could be on the way out.

“Keep an eye on Kings big man Willie Cauley-Stein. Word is Sacramento is open to moving the second-year big man, who wants more of a role than he has under new Kings coach Dave Joerger.”

As ESPN notes in another report, Cauley-Stein has subpar numbers, but that makes sense with such a limited role. As of the current NBA season, he’s averaging 4.8 points and 1.8 rebounds. That’s a bit of a drop off from his numbers of seven points and 5.3 rebounds a game in the 2015-16 season. However, there’s always a high ceiling for potential talent.

At age 23, the former No. 6 pick in the NBA Draft still seems like he has some potential room to develop and flourish. Of course, he would need the right system to do that in. The Boston Celtics might be a better fit, but he’d still be in a backup role to their recent acquisition Al Horford, among other players who are already starring on the roster.

As for what the Kings would get in this deal, it would make sense to bring in some fresh players for their frontcourt. Just yesterday, James Young showed what he is capable of, as he was called upon by a Celtics team suffering injury issues right now. Young scored 12 points on five-for-six shooting in 16 minutes of game time. It was said that the team may have bid farewell to him weeks ago if another team had offered a compelling deal. Instead, Young, a first-round draft pick in 2014, still finds himself a part of the team’s roster, but he might do even better for a team in “rebuild mode.”

Celtics point guard Terry Rozier might flourish with the rebuilding Kings. [Image by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images]

The other player mentioned in this prospective deal is point guard Terry Rozier. He was a first-round pick by Boston in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Louisville. He’s putting up 6.4 points, 1.9 assists, and 3.2 rebounds a game this season in 20 minutes per contest. Right now he’s mostly a backup for their All-Star Isaiah Thomas, with Marcus Smart another valuable option in Boston. The Kings would benefit from the potential for Rozier to develop his game and start to become a floor general for Sacramento’s rebuilding team of the future.

When it comes to NBA trade rumors, some of the reports out there just seem so out of place that they don’t make any sense. In the case of this trade, it’s not a blockbuster deal by any means. However, it could be one of those deals that gets done and ends up helping a couple players flourish in the right team environments. In this case, it would help a rebuilding Kings team and a Celtics team looking to continue their push in the Eastern Conference.

NBA fans, which team do you think would benefit most from this proposed trade? Is it a good deal, or should the two teams look elsewhere?

[Featured Image by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]

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