NBA Trade Rumors: 3 Reasons Sacramento Kings Should Trade DeMarcus Cousins Before Deadline
We still have over a month remaining until the annual trade deadline, but rumors are flying around the league regarding numerous notable players. As we all know, DeMarcus Cousins has been in trade rumors with many teams this year, and the Sacramento Kings may decide to trade him. Shouldn't or shouldn't they deal Cousins away?
Here are three reasons the Kings should trade Cousins this year.
1. Value
After this season, Cousins has just two years remaining on his contract. Does anybody honestly believe he will re-sign with the Kings when this current contract runs out? Cousins has surpassed Dwight Howard as the best center in the NBA, and the Kings have to cash in now and get value. This would be a complete disaster if they waited around and did nothing while his contract expires, and he walked as a free agent. Cousins is scheduled to make $35 million combined over the next two seasons, and there's definitely a handful of teams that would be willing to pay that salary for such a gifted player. According to ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers have been pursing Cousins in a potential trade. The Kings would be wise to trade Cousins, get huge value now, and rebuild for the future.
2. Why Keep Him?
Cousins is a great center, but the unfortunate reality is that the Kings haven't benefited from having him on the roster one bit. Since Cousins arrived in 2010, the Kings have missed the playoffs every year with him. They've been one of the worst teams in the league in that time span with no chance of making the playoffs each and every year. As a matter of fact, the Kings haven't even had a 30-win season with Cousins on the roster. This year the Kings are off to a 14-21 start to the season. Is that Cousins' fault? Obviously not. But again, the Kings have to trade Cousins now before he walks as a free agent. Why should the Kings continue to dump money into a center that isn't making one bit of a difference for them? There are plenty of teams out there who would be willing to trade draft picks and young talent for Cousins.
3. Time for a Change
We all know Cousins doesn't exactly see eye-to-eye with head coach George Karl. Cousins is a monster center who puts up elite numbers year in and year out, but it's time for a change of scenery for everyone. Cousins has increased his scoring average almost every season of his career, and he's a great free throw shooter and excellent on the boards. But even so, the Kings aren't seeing any benefits. The game isn't played within the paint as much as it used to. Smaller players and three point shooting highlight today's NBA. It's time for the Kings to explore new options and try something completely different. With Cousins gone, the Kings will head down a whole new road with loaded draft picks. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Keeping Cousins for the next two years and expecting to win with him would be, well, insanity.
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. ET.
Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1