Welcome to DeMarcus Cousins day on Celticsblog. I thought I'd contribute.
Firstly, I want to point out this trade only makes sense if George Karl would like the Kings to go in a different direction and move Cousins. If the Kings view Cousins as the player they should build around for the next half-decade or so, he will not be traded, and I recognize that.
That said, I think the problem with getting Cousins is that the hoard of draft picks we can offer will just not be that appealing to Sacramento. If they trade Cousins, they will want a high-level player in return, and so if we want Cousins, we need to find a team with such a player that would be willing to move him for draft picks.
Denver seems to be just such that team. Ty Lawson is a talented point guard, but that entire locker room needs some major cleaning. There were rumors he was on the block at the deadline, and it seems as if two first rounders might get it done. There were even rumors that the Celtics had expressed interest.
Meanwhile, Ty Lawson seems just the sort of player Sacramento would want headlining a package for Cousins. He thrived under Karl in Denver, so he's pretty low-risk. He plays a position that they have a void in. He's a good up-tempo PG. They can show him to the fan base as an example that they're not starting from scratch again. There have even been rumors that the Kings would like to acquire him.
Furthermore, the Nuggets are one of the few teams where Cousins would not be a great fit. They have Nurkic and Faried already upfront, so there is no positional need. They also have a team that just quit on its coach, which probably is a bad environment for Cousins to walk into. Additionally, the Kings don't have that much more they can offer Denver for Lawson. They're short on expirings, and while they have this year's pick, they owe a protected one for several years into the future.
Enter the Celtics. They have picks they can offer Denver to compensate for Lawson, and additional assets to send to SAC to make up for the difference in value between Cousins and Lawson. Accordingly, I propose the following draft night trade:
To Denver: Celtics own 2015 1st, Dallas 2016 1st, top 7 protected, Philadelphia 2016 2nd, Gerald Wallace.
To Sacramento: Ty Lawson, Kelly Olynyk (or Jared Sullinger or Tyler Zeller - whichever SAC wanted), Clippers 2015 1st, Philadelphia 2015 2nd.
To Boston: DeMarcus Cousins.
The Kings get one of Karl's favorite PGs, a big on a rookie deal, and two decent draft picks this year. The Nuggets get two good first round picks, both of which could be in the top half of their drafts, as well as an early 2016 2nd. The Celtics give up three firsts, two seconds, and a player on a rookie deal, but a) get to keep their most valuable picks (from Brookyln) and have a gazillion seconds, b) trade a player who was going to lose minutes to Cousins anyway, c) keep most of their current rotation players, and d) preserve their cap space to add a max free agent this summer (to a roster that now has Cousins, which makes Boston much more attractive as a destination.)
I think this deal gives Sacramento and Denver both fair prices on their players, while still allowing the Celtics to not give up anything they couldn't afford.
Happy DeMarcus Cousins Day!
Topic: Can Denver be the missing link to get Cousins? (Read 3196 times)