All things DeMarcus Cousins (merged thread)

[Roy H.]

If pending free agent Kevin Love is worth Wiggins, I've got to think that DMC is worth more than a projected top-5 first rounder.  The cost might be all three Brooklyn picks ('16 Nets, '17 Celtics pick with right to swap, '18 Nets).

That's a lot.  Would I do it?  Probably, but I'm a huge DMC fan.  It would be a big risk, but a worthwhile one to me.

[Donoghus]

If pending free agent Kevin Love is worth Wiggins, I've got to think that DMC is worth more than a projected top-5 first rounder.  The cost might be all three Brooklyn picks ('16 Nets, '17 Celtics pick with right to swap, '18 Nets).

That's a lot.  Would I do it?  Probably, but I'm a huge DMC fan.  It would be a big risk, but a worthwhile one to me.

See, I don't think I would. Which is probably a deal-breaker with SAC but  I'm at least fighting tooth & nail to hold onto BKN '16 and I still have some reservations about taking Cousins on board and adding him to this current group. 

[wdleehi]

If pending free agent Kevin Love is worth Wiggins, I've got to think that DMC is worth more than a projected top-5 first rounder.  The cost might be all three Brooklyn picks ('16 Nets, '17 Celtics pick with right to swap, '18 Nets).

That's a lot.  Would I do it?  Probably, but I'm a huge DMC fan.  It would be a big risk, but a worthwhile one to me.

Three 1st rounders, sure.


Three Brooklyn picks, no way. 


One of those and two others of their choices. 

[Roy H.]

If pending free agent Kevin Love is worth Wiggins, I've got to think that DMC is worth more than a projected top-5 first rounder.  The cost might be all three Brooklyn picks ('16 Nets, '17 Celtics pick with right to swap, '18 Nets).

That's a lot.  Would I do it?  Probably, but I'm a huge DMC fan.  It would be a big risk, but a worthwhile one to me.

See, I don't think I would. Which is probably a deal-breaker with SAC but  I'm at least fighting tooth & nail to hold onto BKN '16 and I still have some reservations about taking Cousins on board and adding him to this current group.

Yeah, you need to be 100% certain about how DMC would fit into the lockerroom and with Stevens before making a trade like that.

The 2016 Brooklyn pick is obviously a great asset at this point.  That said, the chances that Ben Simmons or Skal Labissiere are ever as good as Cousins are small, in my opinion, and we'd have less than a 50% chance at getting either even if Brooklyn finishes with the worst record (which they won't).

[Hemingway]

If pending free agent Kevin Love is worth Wiggins, I've got to think that DMC is worth more than a projected top-5 first rounder.  The cost might be all three Brooklyn picks ('16 Nets, '17 Celtics pick with right to swap, '18 Nets).

That's a lot.  Would I do it?  Probably, but I'm a huge DMC fan.  It would be a big risk, but a worthwhile one to me.

I was just thinking the same thing. Lee plus all 3 nets picks might be a win-win deal. There are no sure things, DMC could flake out here but those picks could all end up being less than allstar guys. Top picks don't always turn out to be stars. I think I would make the trade but I'm not that framiliar with DM's game.

But if we offered Lee plus all 3 nets picks would another team offer more? Th kings know that the closer DMC's contract gets to ending the lower his value will be. It could never be higher.
If we could swap Lee for DMC we would be really good.

[Fafnir]

As far as draft pick compensation no team in the league can beat the three Nets picks (plus a variety of other picks the C's have). Not until the lottery happens and you can give them a top 3 pick for certain.

[LarBrd33]

To be fair, the Wiggins trade can't be used as a barometer of anything.  That situation was so oddly specific and unprescedented.  First of all, there's no way you can convince me that there wasn't some kind of major *wink wink* handshake agreement regarding Love re-signing. There's just no way there wasn't one.  Agents had their careers on the line there.  There's no way the franchise whose blind owner was burned by boozer wouldn't have made that move without assurance.  It might have been as simple as Love giving Lebron his word and Love knowing he'd be blackballed if he crossed the King, but there was absolutely an agreement that nobody will ever officially admit to because such handshake agreements are illegal.   Building on that, there's no way in hell Minny gets an asset like Andrew Wiggins without Lebron's involvement.  LeBron called the shots there.  He wanted a big 3 to rival what he had in Miami and he didn't want to wait around for it.   On paper, surrounding Lebron with kyrie and Love was like giving him even better versions of Wade and Bosh.  Lebron made the call there.   Credit Flip Saunders for being aware of his leverage. For the first month the Cavs pretended like Wiggins was rightfully off the table, but Flip knew his cards.  He knew Cleveland had no choice. There was no way Dan Gilbert was going to p--- off the literal savior of his franchise.  Players like love don't become available often.   He held firm on Wiggins and the cavs had no choice but to pay up.  Without context, that's one of the craziest trades in history. You don't trade a phenom prospect like Wiggins for an allstar on the final year of his deal. It just doesn't happen.  There was a handshake agreement in place and that's partially why I wouldn't rule out a Kevin love trade this year.  He did Lebron right by re-upping and not leaving the cavs high and dry... And I'm sure lebron will do Kevin love right and find him a new home if Cleveland ultimately isn't a good fit.

That said, I still don't think Boston has the assets for cousins. Sure, if the Brooklyn pick ends up being Ben Simmons, we will have a compelling decision to make, but we don't have Ben Simmons.  We don't have a top 5 pick either.  We have the hope of a good pick.  Maybe months from now there will be more certainty but until then that Brooklyn pick is still potentially late lotto and that kind of risky asset isn't worthy of a superstar centerpiece.  Also consider that there are dozens of teams with single assets that rival that Brooklyn pick.   For instance, what's more valuable ... Mario hedzonja (the guy who was literally taken 5th this year) or a pick that may or may not end up in the top 5 this year?   What's more valuable...   

Marcus Smart remains our most valuable asset (for now) and Marcus Smart still probably isn't enough to be the centerpiece of a star trade.  Just a couple months ago Marcus Smart and picks wasn't enough to even be the centerpiece in a trade for Jahlil Okafor. 

Hoping for the best with the Brooklyn pick, but don't get your hopes up.  Yes, we have lots of other pick assets, but most of them project to be late 1sts/2nd rounders and we recently hit the sober reality of how little value those picks have in our failed attempt to give up #16 and multiple firsts to trade up for Winslow.

[Jon]

The above post makes some good points. 

I guess the next question is how much does Cousins's drama with George Karl hurt his trade value? 

Sure, as a player, he's easily worth at least a Nets pick or two and a whole bunch more.  But does the fact he's become such a cancer hurt his trade value?  If so, how much?  If the Kings believe they have to trade him, that hurts their negotiating position.   

Remember, we only ended up getting two role players and what was thought to have been at the time a late first round pick for Rondo. 

[Hemingway]

well if Sac is willing to trade Cuz than it probably will be for less than fair value for his talent because they want to move on. Otherwise they would just keep him.

Could we win a title with him? this year? If the answer is yes it's probably worth trading all out picks

[LarBrd33]

Even if the Kings decided to move cousins and even if Boston's offer of Brooklyn's hypothetical top 5 pick + Lee + Smart beat out LA's offer of The Laker's hypothetical Top 5 pick + Hibbert + Randle... Or some random offer from someone like Orlando (vucevic and hedzonja) or the Wizards (beal + nene), you can't ignore the fact that Vivek and Vlade are Grade-A idiots.  It's one of the two worst run teams in the league.  You could probably throw a boatload of assets at them and then watch them trade cousins to Houston for Dwight Howard and Terrence jones or to Chicago for joakim Noah and Doug McDermott.  Who knows.  They got clowns running that team.

Arent the kings a team that just gave away all their future picks + last year's #8 pick (stauskas... Who looks good btw) so they could have enough cap room for rajon rondo?  Meanwhile their top pick from a couple years ago (Ben mclemore) is riding the pine this year for some reason after a productive sophomore season.   You think this is a team that wants some hypothetical draft picks and Marcus smart ?

[moiso]

If pending free agent Kevin Love is worth Wiggins, I've got to think that DMC is worth more than a projected top-5 first rounder.  The cost might be all three Brooklyn picks ('16 Nets, '17 Celtics pick with right to swap, '18 Nets).

That's a lot.  Would I do it?  Probably, but I'm a huge DMC fan.  It would be a big risk, but a worthwhile one to me.

See, I don't think I would. Which is probably a deal-breaker with SAC but  I'm at least fighting tooth & nail to hold onto BKN '16 and I still have some reservations about taking Cousins on board and adding him to this current group.

Yeah, you need to be 100% certain about how DMC would fit into the lockerroom and with Stevens before making a trade like that.

The 2016 Brooklyn pick is obviously a great asset at this point.  That said, the chances that Ben Simmons or Skal Labissiere are ever as good as Cousins are small, in my opinion, and we'd have less than a 50% chance at getting either even if Brooklyn finishes with the worst record (which they won't).

No team can be 100% certain that Cousins will be a good soldier and fit in to their lockerroom.

[ssspence]

If pending free agent Kevin Love is worth Wiggins, I've got to think that DMC is worth more than a projected top-5 first rounder.  The cost might be all three Brooklyn picks ('16 Nets, '17 Celtics pick with right to swap, '18 Nets).

That's a lot.  Would I do it?  Probably, but I'm a huge DMC fan.  It would be a big risk, but a worthwhile one to me.

The market will dictate the price, and I have a hard time seeing anyone (other than the Sixers -- who really make zero sense) that could get anywhere close to the offer you're suggesting. ONE of the Nets picks + 3 additional (lower) 1sts + plus a couple of good current players should be stronger than what else is out there.

[Eddie20]

Even if the Kings decided to move cousins and even if Boston's offer of Brooklyn's hypothetical top 5 pick + Lee + Smart beat out LA's offer of The Laker's hypothetical Top 5 pick + Hibbert + Randle... Or some random offer from someone like Orlando (vucevic and hedzonja) or the Wizards (beal + nene), you can't ignore the fact that Vivek and Vlade are Grade-A idiots.  It's one of the two worst run teams in the league.  You could probably throw a boatload of assets at them and then watch them trade cousins to Houston for Dwight Howard and Terrence jones or to Chicago for joakim Noah and Doug McDermott.  Who knows.  They got clowns running that team.

Arent the kings a team that just gave away all their future picks + last year's #8 pick (stauskas... Who looks good btw) so they could have enough cap room for rajon rondo?  Meanwhile their top pick from a couple years ago (Ben mclemore) is riding the pine this year for some reason after a productive sophomore season.   You think this is a team that wants some hypothetical draft picks and Marcus smart ?

You leep saying that , but it isn't true. The Sixers can swap picks the next 2 seasons, which won't be exercised considering their sorry state and a top 10 protected pick in 2018. Somehow I doubt you would've missed these little details if the Cs had the picks.

[moiso]

He keeps saying Stauskas looks good too, which really isn't true either.

[Evantime34]

If pending free agent Kevin Love is worth Wiggins, I've got to think that DMC is worth more than a projected top-5 first rounder.  The cost might be all three Brooklyn picks ('16 Nets, '17 Celtics pick with right to swap, '18 Nets).

That's a lot.  Would I do it?  Probably, but I'm a huge DMC fan.  It would be a big risk, but a worthwhile one to me.

Not sure I agree with the comparison. The Love situation was one in which the Wolves had a ton of leverage because bringing in Love was a condition of LeBron joining them. I would be shocked if DMC fetches a higher price than Love.

As to whether I would do DMC for all 3 Brooklyn picks, absolutely not. Trading the Brooklyn picks makes it less likely that you can put top notch players next to Cousins and convince him to stay.