DeMarcus Cousins continues to be a hot topic in NBA trades no matter what the Sacramento Kings say in regards to the center. Every team believes the Kings will deal at the right price and will continue to call about a price tag. That scenario is no different this seasons as teams can officially begin trading players over the next two months. The Boston Celtics are a team that has shown interest in Cousins in the past, but do not expect something to happen this year.
According to Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.com, the Sacramento Kings have gotten a number of calls about the availability of Cousins and the Celtics are a team expressing interest. At first glance the report makes sense. The Celtics reportedly attempted to acquire Cousins during the NBA Draft, but never got the deal done. Why would they not show interest now as they are a team on the rise?
According to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, the Cousins rumors are simply rumors and nothing more. Bulpett reports the Celtics have not had any discussions about acquiring Cousins at the trade deadline while Kings' Vlade Divac has stated that the center is not even available right now anyways. Of course the Celtics would be the first team mentioned in this types of rumors simply because they are loaded with draft picks and young assets that would make a deal very easy to get done. However, for now as Boston continues to be a darkhorse in the Eastern Conference, they appear likely to stay put with the roster.
Cousins would make sense for Boston if the team were to change their mind at some point. The team is winning with players like Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger improving, but later two of them can become free agents in the offseason. According to the Boston Herald, there were brief talks of contracts before the season began, but nothing was done. Zeller can demand a lot of money while Sullinger will also want a nice contract. The Celtics run the risk of losing them for nothing in return. However, including them in a package for Cousins is not the worst idea.
According to head coach Brad Stevens, the Celtics are just starting to find their identity and while consistency has been an issue, he likes where the team is headed. Does that mean trades will not happen? No, but do not expect Boston to jump on a deal for Cousins in the coming days.
