Report: Celtics to try to trade for DeMarcus Cousins
By James Herbert | NBA writer
May 1, 2015 9:41 am ET
DeMarcus Cousins is reportedly on Boston's radar. (USATSI)
DeMarcus Cousins is reportedly on Boston's radar. (USATSI)
The Boston Celtics have a boatload of draft picks and financial fiexiblity, and it's no secret that they want to acquire a star. While that didn't work out last summer, they're now coming off a playoff appearance and have more assets with which to trade. The hope is that they will be able to nab Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
Will they open their war chest of future draft picks to try to pry DeMarcus Cousins away from Sacramento via trade? The early word out there is: Bank on it.
Will they be in the mix for pretty much any name player who unexpectedly comes available in coming months?
Bank on that, too.
Ainge has put Boston in great position for the future, and his patient planning already paid off with the acquisition of Isaiah Thomas at February's trade deadline. If there's any team capable of pulling off something like the James Harden trade, it's the Celtics because of their incoming first-round picks. The question is when they'll actually have an opportunity to do so. Cousins is an interesting case.
If Sacramento had kept head coach Mike Malone around, this speculation likely wouldn't be happening. Back in November, it seemed Cousins was finally on the same page with a coach and the Kings were finally playing good defense. You know what happened next: he got hurt, Malone got fired, then Sacramento went back to being Sacramento. New-ish head coach George Karl will be given a chance to turn things around, but he said his relationship with the big man was a work in progress in mid-March.
In the five years since Cousins was drafted, the Kings have never won more than the 29 games they did this season. He has vented his frustration after numerous losses, but pledged that he wants to turn things around. He is under contract until 2017-2018, so Sacramento should have time to get on the right track. Nothing seems to stay stable there, though, with Vlade Divac reportedly becoming the lead voice in the front office recently. You know it's not just the Celtics who are monitoring this situation.