We still have a long way to go until the trade deadline, but rumors are beginning to swirl around the league. By far the biggest high-profile player involved in trade discussions is Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins is now viewed as the best 'big' man in the NBA, even ahead of Dwight Howard. Many would think this would be a crazy decision to trade away a franchise player at such a young age of 25, but it actually may make sense. Cousins and head coach George Karl obviously don't get along, and we all know that. On top of that, the Kings simply aren't winning with Cousins. The Kings are 10-15 this season, and they've never once made the playoffs with Cousins anyway. Sometimes it's just time to move on.

Insert the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls reportedly have huge interest in acquiring Cousins this very season before the NBA trade deadline. This makes sense considering the Bulls' contract status with notable players. Pau Gasol has already stated that he will test the free agent market this upcoming offseason, and Joakim Noah looks lost in Fred Hoiberg's system. Noah is only averaging 3.7 points per game, and let's keep in mind this is the final year of his contract. There's a good possibility that the Bulls won't have Noah or Gasol next season. Getting Cousins would be a terrific trade for the Bulls franchise.

Cousins is currently under contract with the Kings for the next three seasons. His contract has big salary cap hits, but you could easily make the case he is worth it. Cousins has increased his scoring average per game in all six years of his career. This year he's averaging 25.2 points per game, and he is a pretty good free-throw shooter for a center.

Another team that has been actively pursuing the 6-foot-11 center is the Los Angeles Lakers. According to ESPN, the Lakers are one of the most determined teams to get Cousins.

Again, like the Bulls, this makes sense. The Lakers don't have a true elite center, and they are going to have a lot of salary cap space opening up once Kobe Bryant retires this offseason. The Howard experiment didn't exactly work out in Los Angeles, but Cousins would definitely be a better fit because he is so much more gifted offensively. The Lakers have also been rumored to be shopping Jordan Clarkson, but nothing has been confirmed. That same report also indicated that the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics were interested in Cousins as well.

If you're the Kings, trading away Cousins will hurt, but you can get a lot of value for such a great young player. The Bulls make a lot of sense for the Kings because they play in a whole different conference, and they have a lot of talented players to swap. On the other hand, the Kings may want to consider dealing with the interstate Lakers considering they have more draft picks and cash available to offer.

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 at 3 p.m. EST.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1