Berger: C's can offer the most for Cousins

[Eddie20]

To see what could be ahead for the Sacramento Kings, we must look at how this franchise got to this level of dysfunction.

To review (and be patient, there is a lot to review when assessing the Kings):

In December 2013, the Kings acquired Rudy Gay from Toronto in an effort to complement DeMarcus Cousins with a capable wing scorer. A year later, with the Kings off to an encouraging 11-13 start while Cousins was bedridden with viral meningitis, they fired coach Michael Malone and replaced him with assistant Tyrone Corbin. The reason? Owner Vivek Ranadive wanted to play faster, despite the fact that the team's best player, Cousins, was a plodding, low-post scorer.

The GM who begrudgingly executed the move, Pete D'Alessandro, subsequently hired George Karl, with whom he worked in Denver. After a season in which Cousins made his first All-Star team, he told the Washington Post of the Kings' turmoil: "It's been a circus, man. It's been a complete circus."

Two months ago, D'Alessandro was stripped of his decision-making power and replaced by Vlade Divac, who is now calling the shots. Earlier this month, D'Alessandro returned to Denver in a front-office role. Oh, and Malone is now the Nuggets' head coach.

Now, two days before a draft in which the Kings hold the sixth pick, they are floating trade proposals as though the world is ending. "They have everyone on the table," a rival executive told CBSSports.com Tuesday. "Everyone."

Everyone includes Gay, the player the previous regime acquired to placate Cousins, and if Karl gets his wish, Cousins, himself. To which Cousins deftly responded on Twitter with a hot-fire emoji depicting a snake between blades of grass.

Ranadive and Divac continue to insist that Cousins is not available, which runs counter to Karl's comment in April that he's "never had one player that I have said was untradeable." And while rival executives are dubious that anything of substance has changed on the Karl-Cousins front -- beyond a well-placed leak that led to this pre-draft maelstrom -- it's never too early to consider the potential landing spots for the combustible but talented 24-year-old.

Cousins' agent, Dan Fegan, would like to steer his client to the Lakers, who can offer Julius Randle and this year's No. 2 pick -- though rival teams doubt the Kings would send Cousins to a division rival. The Knicks are another team on Cousins' list, but all the Knicks have to offer is the fourth pick (which, bear in mind, can't officially be dealt until the Knicks use it, since their 2016 first-rounder already has been traded).

UPDATE, 3:11 p.m. ET: Karl's former team, Denver, also is a possibility -- with Malone and D'Alessandro there and with Karl pushing the idea of "putting the band back together" from his Nuggets tenure, a person with knowledge of the situation said. League sources say Karl is enamored with the idea of a deal that would send Kenneth Faried, Ty Lawson and Wilson Chandler to Sacramento. The Nuggets, who have the seventh pick, are open to trading Lawson and Chandler. But Faried would be difficult to trade before July since his contract includes a poison-pill provision; his incoming salary for the Kings ($10.45 million) would be vastly greater than his outgoing salary for the Nuggets ($2.25 million) if traded during the current league year.

The team that can offer the most in terms of future assets for Cousins is the Boston Celtics, who've long had their eye on the Sacramento situation for that very reason. The Celtics have the 16th and 28th picks in Thursday night's draft, plus a slew of future firsts -- as many as six in the next two drafts and eight in the next three, depending on how the protections play out.

Here is the confusing part: Karl has signaled no interest in a full-on youth movement. He is chasing Don Nelson on the career wins list and wants to win now with veteran players. So why not keep your best players, add Emmanuel Mudiay or Willie Cauley-Stein to the mix with the sixth pick, and move on? One thing is certain: After missing on the eighth overall pick last year (Nik Stauskas, who is already on the trading block), the Kings need to get this offseason right for once.

For now, emojis are popping up all over, the circus music is playing and the Kings are the undisputed rulers of dysfunction.

[Robb]

Hey just as a procedure:  writers basically work for clicks. If you want to share an article, cool, but could you add a link to their hard work?

[Endless Paradise]

Yes, we know. The debate is if the quantity of those assets has any significant bearing on their quality. Celtics fans might remember that the Wolves chose Cleveland's deal over Boston's likely larger package primarily because the Cavs were offering the first overall pick, whereas the Celtics weren't.

[mef730]

TP, good call on the link.

I'm not the OP, but I think this is it:

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/writer/ken-berger/25222603/draft-buzz-possible-landing-spots-for-demarcus-cousins

Mike

[D.o.s.]

Yes, we know. The debate is if the quantity of those assets has any significant bearing on their quality. Celtics fans might remember that the Wolves chose Cleveland's deal over Boston's likely larger package primarily because the Cavs were offering the first overall pick, whereas the Celtics weren't.

Good point. Also the short term aims of the Celtics and the short term aims of the Kings could be (and almost certainly are) different, which has an effect on how valuable various assets are to each team.

[perks-a-beast]

If from what i hear is true and the Lakers are really willing to give up Randle and the number 2 pick then saying the Celtics have the most to offer is absurd.

I also wouldnt do any deal for Cousins involving Marcus Smart. The most i would hope Danny would do is something like Sullinger + Wallace + Young + 16th + Zeller + Brooklyns 2016 1st, and that still doesnt touch the Lakers offer.

[TheFlex]

Yes, we know. The debate is if the quantity of those assets has any significant bearing on their quality. Celtics fans might remember that the Wolves chose Cleveland's deal over Boston's likely larger package primarily because the Cavs were offering the first overall pick, whereas the Celtics weren't.

Seems like Berger's intention by using "most" was to speculate that the Celtics are the favorite to land Cousins, not just that, numerically, they have the most assets to offer.

[celticsclay]

The thing that stinks is that are assets are so unclear in value, specifically with relation to the Dallas and Brooklyn picks. The Dallas pick could be anything from a very low end lottery to a mid 20's pick next year. Generally, this means it will probably have the most value for us.

The brooklyn picks, it is really hard to imagine how the Brooklyn pick next year is not a lottery pick. If that team loses Young (seems likely) and Lopez (no idea how likely), how in the world do they make playoffs with just johnson, williams and a bunch of low upside guys like Plumlee and Teletovic? Again though, there is that uncertainty so may have the most value for us.

It seems like our only hopes would be Karl really being enamored with Bradley and KO or Sullinger and being confident he could trade the draft picks to other teams for more established talent.

The Denver West trade scenario where his team ends up with

Lawson
Gay
Chandler
Faried
C?

bench: Collison, Stauskas draft picks

That doesn't seem like more than a 43 win team.

[Eddie20]

Yes, we know. The debate is if the quantity of those assets has any significant bearing on their quality. Celtics fans might remember that the Wolves chose Cleveland's deal over Boston's likely larger package primarily because the Cavs were offering the first overall pick, whereas the Celtics weren't.

Good point. Also the short term aims of the Celtics and the short term aims of the Kings could be (and almost certainly are) different, which has an effect on how valuable various assets are to each team.

I think the logical route is the picks and pieces, say Sullinger or Bradley, go to Denver (who is in full rebuild mode), Cousins goes to Boston, Faried, Lawson, and Sullinger or Zeller go to Sacramento.

[Donoghus]

It's a simple matter of quality or quantity.

Celtics can certainly offer the most (it appears) but the question is how much is too much here?  When does it reach the point of overpay that hurts the team both in the short term & long term?

[Tr1boy]

we don't have enough for the crybaby.   Lakers or Nuggets are ahead . Either #2 or Lawson and Faried look alot more attractive

[Endless Paradise]

Yes, we know. The debate is if the quantity of those assets has any significant bearing on their quality. Celtics fans might remember that the Wolves chose Cleveland's deal over Boston's likely larger package primarily because the Cavs were offering the first overall pick, whereas the Celtics weren't.

Seems like Berger's intention by using "most" was to speculate that the Celtics are the favorite to land Cousins, not just that, numerically, they have the most assets to offer.

I don't get that impression at all. He brought up the Celtics' draft picks and then proceeded to describe them in a quantitative fashion rather than discussing their actual worth.

[max215]

In the long run the Cs probably have the most to offer, but what they have to offer doesn't seem to interest the Kings.

[TheFlex]

It's a simple matter of quality or quantity.

The most recent instance of this being true does not make this universally and absolutely true.

[acieEarl]

Good point. We definitely have the quantity or quality right now. We also have the possible lottery tickets with our many pics from other teams. For team like Sacamento these future (uncertain) picks may be worth the risk. Although I can't see Karl wanting to start with a young team.

It's a simple matter of quality or quantity.

Celtics can certainly offer the most (it appears) but the question is how much is too much here?  When does it reach the point of overpay that hurts the team both in the short term & long term?