The Sacramento Kings may trade DeMarcus Cousins ahead of the NBA draft this year and head coach George Karl may target players like Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried with the Denver Nuggets in a deal and this comes as the Kings may look at Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee as free agent options on the market if they deal Rudy Gay.
The Kings have come up in numerous reports this offseason regarding Cousins, including potential deals to the Celtics, Lakers and Knicks. All of those teams reportedly have interest in Cousins, but so far owner Vivek Ranadive has not been willing to make a deal. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Karl is behind the main rumors for Cousins, as he sees the team building a winner around a different core. One deal is a three-team trade that would sent Cousins to the Lakers, while the Magic and Kings would swap some picks, with the number two likely going to Sacramento.
That deal has a lot of moving parts and may not get done and as that is going on, the Boston Celtics are continuing to push for a Cousins trade. According to Greg Dickerson of CSNNE.com, the Celtics feel they have enough draft picks and young players to make a deal with the Kings and they will "push" for a deal "through draft day" and could look over the summer if Cousins does not get moved. Cousins is an All-Star player and he just had one of his best seasons and now he could be traded.
Chris Broussard of ESPN.com is reporting that the Nuggets could be an option for the Kings, as Karl is looking to get Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson in a deal for Cousins. Karl previously was the coach of the Nuggets and he likely feels he can build a winner with those players coming in. Lawson is likely going to get traded this summer and if that deal doesn't work out, the Kings could go after Rajon Rondo in free agency. As it stands now, ownership is not going through with a trade, but there is a lot of smoke coming from the Kings regarding Cousins.
Adding to all of this is the potential of bringing in Rajon Rondo as a free agent. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Kings are shopping Rudy Gay in trades to clear enough cap space for Rondo and this comes as teams like the Knicks, Lakers and Pacers could chase Rondo in free agency. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe wrote earlier in the offseason that the Kings could be a "dark horse" location for Rondo, while Wojnarowski reports that a short term, high money deal could be appealing to Rondo in Sacramento.
Rondo is coming into the offseason with his value very low, as he did not have a good run with the Mavericks after his trade from the Celtics. Rondo could be interested in signing a one year deal and having a good season to inflate his value as the cap rises next year. According to Marc Spears at Yahoo, the Kings are also interested in JaVale McGee, as he was bought out by the Sixers and is a free agent after previously playing for Karl in Denver as well.
