The NBA draft is over and now trade season can really start this summer, as Ty Lawson remains a target for the Sacramento Kings along with Kenneth Faried after the Nuggets took Emmanuel Mudiay, while DeMarcus Cousins could be an option for the Los Angeles Lakers after the Kings took Willie Cauley-Stein and this comes as players like Eric Bledsoe, Rudy Gay, Ricky Rubio and David Lee could be traded.
The draft did not see any major trades in the top five picks, but now teams may look at making deals depending on the players they picked in the first round. Coming into the draft, DeMarcus Cousins came up in trade talks with the Kings and the Lakers and now those could pick back up after Los Angeles took D'Angelo Russell second overall. Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried were also mentioned in connection to the Kings, as they previously played for George Karl and they could be targets for Sacramento if Karl doesn't get fired.
According to Yahoo Sports, the Lakers and Kings have discussed a "framework" for a deal with Cousins that would include Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and a draft pick heading to Sacramento. Now that the Lakers have picked Russell it's likely it would be a future draft pick if a trade did happen. The team bypassed Jahlil Okafor and now they could go after Cousins again, as they could use a big man to play alongside Russell and Kobe Bryant. Randle is coming back after an injury and the Lakers do not know what they have in him yet.
With the draft passing by teams could step back from making major trades, but Cousins could still end up getting moved. According to ESPN.com, the Kings have discussed the possibility of firing Karl, as ownership does not want to trade Cousins and owner Vivek Ranadivé may be upset with how Karl has pushed the deal into the public and in the media. Karl reportedly was expected to not meddle with personnel and now the team could look at making moves.
If Karl does stay though, there is a chance he will continue to pursue some of his old players, including Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried. Ahead of the draft there was a report that Karl was looking to trade Cousins to the Nuggets for those players and after the draft, Lawson came to social media to say he's "going to Sacramento". The Kings picked Willie Cauley-Stein and that could be a sign that Cousins is going to move. The Nuggets picks Emmanuel Mudiay, which could mean the team is interested in moving Lawson.
ESPN.com reported that the team was shopping Rudy Gay ahead of the draft to clear cap space to sign Rajon Rondo, but if the team goes after Lawson that likely will not happen. The Kings are in a bit of a tough spot after shopping Cousins, but they can work it out if they decide to keep him, as players come up in rumors all the time. The relationship with Karl is the one to watch and the Kings may have to make a move there. Mudiay has the chance to take over in Denver and that could spark a move with Lawson to the Kings, which is something Karl wants.