Let the NBA’s wild pre-trade deadline ride keep spinning and spinning.
According to a report by John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports on Tuesday, the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings have had discussions about a possible DeMarcus Cousins trade. The talks are said to be centered around a return package of forward T.J. Warren, center Alex Len, Phoenix’s first-round pick this year, and potentially more.
Sacramento would be remiss to settle for anything less than a king’s ransom for Cousins (no pun intended) as the 26-year-old has developed into arguably the best center in the NBA today (as this fellow superstar would agree). But his unpredictable temperament and the equally unpredictable behavior of the Kings front office make Cousins a popular subject of trade rumors.
The Kings are likely to have a top-10 pick in next June’s NBA Draft, but the 15-33 Suns can offer them the possibility of another lottery selection that may even fall in the top three. Cousins would also be the fifth former Kentucky Wildcat on the Phoenix roster along with Devin Booker, Tyler Ulis, Brandon Knight, and Eric Bledsoe, whom he was actually teammates with in Lexington.
But if Cousins is indeed available (which seems doubtful with the Kings firmly in the hunt for the eighth seed in the West), Sacramento would probably be able to fetch a better haul for him elsewhere. Still, the possibility of a wild Boogie appearing on the trade market is worth monitoring as Feb. 23 nears.
