NBA Trade Rumors: Sacramento Kings Make DeMarcus Cousins Available In Trade Talks

NBA trade rumors reveal the Sacramento Kings are looking to deal DeMarcus Cousins. There have been many NBA trade rumors about Cousins in the past, with most coming from basketball analysts who felt that the Kings needed to part with the All-Star power forward. A report from CBS Sports now states that the Kings are going to begin testing the trade market. While it doesn’t guarantee that Cousins will be dealt before the 2016-17 NBA season, it does take the Kings down a road it would be difficult to return from.

For several seasons there have been rumors about the Kings parting ways with Cousins, but each rumor has kept coming back to the same conclusion. People in the front office of Sacramento simply felt that Cousins was too good to deal, even if the team was struggling to win games with him as the star player. Following another disappointing NBA season, where the Sacramento Kings finished 33-49 and 40 games back from the first place Golden State Warriors, the time may have come where the roster gets shaken up.

These latest NBA trade rumors also come with possible destinations for one of the best big men in the game. Though nearly every team in the league would like to have the talent of DeMarcus Cousins in the low post, CBS Sports has slimmed it down to six teams that would be the best fits. Those teams are the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Milwaukee Bucks. The New York Knicks would likely ask about him as well. Other teams could enter the mix, but those are the teams that would have the salary cap space to easily facilitate a deal.

DeMarcus Cousins had another impressive statistical NBA season this year. He played in 65 gamesfor the Sacramento Kings, averaging 28 points, 12 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. Those are All-Star numbers that will draw the interest of every team once these NBA trade rumors get around the league. Add in the fact that Cousins is only 25-years-old and suddenly this could be a player that helps to re-shape the future of a franchise.

Cousins is also under a friendly contract that will pay him about $17 million for the 2016-17 NBA season and then about $18 million for the 2017-18 NBA season. He will become a free agent at the age of 27, so it’s safe to assume that he has a huge payday coming at some point. With two years left on the contract, the Kings could certainly get a lot of value back in a trade package. Teams like the L.A. Lakers and Boston Celtics, that have shown interest before, also have lottery picks that could come up in trade talks.

While there has never been a question about the talent that DeMarcus Cousins has on the basketball court, he has had a lot of problems with coaches in the past. Each time a new round of NBA trade rumors comes up that involves him, the problems that he has had with former Sacramento Kings coach George Karl also resurface. It’s possible that a change of scenery is exactly what he needs to get on the track, but there are risks that any team negotiating with Sacramento might encounter. Will he add to the chemistry of a new team or detract from the goals of that franchise?

The action on the Cousins trade front won’t really get moving until the end of the 2016 NBA Playoffs. While teams can discuss possible trades, no action can be taken since the NBA trade deadline has already passed for this season. In July, all bets are off again, and it could get very exciting if the Sacramento Kings commit to trading DeMarcus Cousins before the next NBA season begins. An admission like that could lead to an influx of even more NBA trade rumors about where Cousins could play next.