NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Possibly Trading Draft Pick To Sacramento Kings For DeMarcus Cousins

NBA rumors are swirling around DeMarcus Cousins. The Sacramento Kings are strongly considering getting rid of him so that they can begin rebuilding the team. According to the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Lakers might trade the second overall pick in the upcoming draft for DeMarcus Cousins.

Before the NBA Draft Lottery took place, the Los Angeles Lakers were quite nervous. Had the ping pong balls not rolled in their favor, the franchise was going to lose their lottery pick to the Philadelphia 76ers. It was part of the agreement when the Lakers took a gamble on adding Steve Nash to their roster. Fortunately for Los Angeles, they ended up with the second selection overall, which meant that they get to choose a potential franchise player coming out of college.

After years of tanking, the Philadelphia 76ers finally were awarded the first overall selection in the NBA Draft. They’ll get first crack at either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram. Those are the two guys that have potential to become franchise players in the National Basketball Association. The Lakers would get whoever was not chosen by the Sixers.

If the Los Angeles Lakers are not sold on Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram, they’ll have options because several NBA teams are intrigued by those two players. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak might be able to entice a franchise into giving up a franchise player for the opportunity to take a chance that Simmons and Ingram will become better than what they currently have.

As good of a player that DeMarcus Cousins is, the Sacramento Kings might be ready to move forward and build around another franchise player. Cousins has ruined his reputation after failing to get along with George Karl and forcing him to be released after last season. Karl is a well-respected coach in the NBA. Cousins has developed a reputation as a malcontent.

Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac is trying to start a new era for the franchise. He hired Dave Joerger, who was released by the Memphis Grizzlies despite getting the team to the NBA Playoffs with a rag tag unit of players who were filling in for injured stars. Divac claims that he is not trading DeMarcus Cousins this season, but if the right offer were to land on his lap, then he would be foolish to not listen.

Considered as someone that compares favorably to LeBron James, Ben Simmons is the type of player that can bring hope and excitement to an NBA franchise. The Sacramento Kings fan base can be sold on someone like Simmons. If Vlade Divac were to acquire the former LSU Tigers star, then he can buy himself and the franchise time in the rebuilding process.

Since he is considered a generational player, Ben Simmons would get to pick and choose what position that he wants to play for the Sacramento Kings. He can play small forward or power forward. The Kings would then need to find players that would complement Simmons. Since Simmons is not a great shooter but a great play maker, Sacramento can try to find a point guard, shooting guard and a front court player that can shoot and spread the floor.

For the Los Angeles Lakers, DeMarcus Cousins would become the franchise center that they have lacked since Shaquille O’Neal was on the roster. The team attempted to find one of those with Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum, but neither guy had the maturity to completely take over the role.

DeMarcus Cousins is a big name player, so Los Angeles Lakers fans would be all over his acquisition.