DeMarcus Cousins has been on thin ice ever since he arrived in Sacramento. Trade rumors have been circling his name for a year and only strengthened when the Kings hired George Karl as their head coach. Heading into the offseason, Cousins is once again considered available and many teams could be very interested in his skill set as he is considered one of the top young centers in the league.
While the Kings have not confirmed whether or not Cousins is truly available, the Boston Celtics are expected to be major players if he is. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Celtics would be willing to trade away top draft picks to get Cousins in what would be a blockbuster trade. Boston has been stockpiling draft picks for the past few seasons and the Celtics are ready to spend as head coach Brad Stevens continues to build a strengthening team.
Of course, this blockbuster trade hinges on whether or not Cousins is truly available in a deal. According to CSNBayArea.com, the Kings do not favor draft picks in exchange for Cousins. They want marquee players instead which is something the Celtics might not really have. Boston will try and win Sacramento over with draft picks, but if another team comes around with top players, the Celtics will miss out.
Boston could be major players in free agency this offseason. Stevens has proven he can make a team as Boston surprised many by making the playoffs. According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the Celtics have a lengthy wistlist of free agents they want to target. Kyler writes that Kevin Love is at the top of that list. Greg Monroe, Marc Gasol and Kwahi Leonard are also on it. Kyler believes Boston will try and use their success this season as leverage and swing for the fences on free agency deals.
The Celtics have been linked to Love for a year now. It was reported they were active in trade talks before the start of the 2014-15 season. The Celtics still had Rajon Rondo and they were hoping acquiring Love would get the point guard to stay put. Rondo was traded. It is unclear if Love likes the idea of getting into a rebuilding project. If the Celtics land Cousins, it might strengthen their efforts to get more marquee players this summer.
