There has been a lot of talk surrounding DeMarcus Cousins recently as drama heats up with the Sacramento Kings. According to TheBigLead.com, there is internal strife between Cousins and head coach George Karl which is putting someone's career in jeopardy with the franchise. While Cousins remains a trade option for the Kings, are the Boston Celtics willing to come calling?
The Kings have stood by Cousins despite the drama with the center. However, they know if made available, someone will come calling. Could it be the Celtics who have shown interest in Cousins several times in the past? According to team president Danny Ainge via Darren Hartwell of NESN.com, he cannot discuss that idea.
"Listen, everyone knows who you're talking about," Ainge said, via CBS Boston. "The bottom line is, I can't talk about any players. I can assure you we're familiar with every player in the league, their background and their character. We consider all, but I can't talk about other players on other teams. As the season goes on, not many things happen in the NBA. It's rare. I think most things don't happen, or start happening, (before) the mid-December (period) until mid-February. It's really early in the season for anybody to get too excited about too much."
Cousins would be expensive, but the Celtics have what it takes to acquire him. Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com points out that the Celtics can afford to trade for Cousins considering the draft picks they have stashed. With four first-round picks in the 2016 NBA Draft, the Celtics could strike an easy deal with the Sacramento Kings if the team looks to deal Cousins. With players like Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger set to hit free agency, Cousins would be an upgrade over everyone. The team could easily offer David Lee's expiring deal and a first-round draft pick in the trade. Ainge made it clear that he considers all price and their price tag.
"Listen, we consider all talented players, but what is the price?" Ainge said, via ESPN.com. "Who are the players that we have around to support? All of that is [discussed] when we have trade talks.
Ultimately the Kings must determine what the future looks like with Cousins. Either the center or the coach might have to go in this situation. According to Sam Amick of USA Today, Karl could be the one out as the Kings favor Cousins as their franchise player. For the center, he has admitted that there is some tension between he and players like Rajon Rondo as they continue to work out the early season struggles. Much of this could simply be blown out of proportions with the media, but considering this has been reported in the past, that seems unlikely.
"There's a lot of B.S. out there," general manager Vlade Divac said, via the Sacramento Bee. "I'd just rather not comment."