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Should Sacramento Kings trade DeMarcus Cousins?

By Connor Muldowney

Mar 7, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (right) walks back to the bench after head coach George Karl (left) called timeout against the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won in overtime 114-109. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (right) walks back to the bench after head coach George Karl (left) called timeout against the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won in overtime 114-109. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the 2014-15 NBA season coming to a close, the Sacramento Kings are looking to brighten their future. Could that mean trading DeMarcus Cousins?

While it hasn’t been the ideal season for the Sacramento Kings and newly-appointed head coach George Karl who took over halfway through the year, the team is looking toward a brighter future.

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On Monday evening, Karl was asked if any players would be off-limits in terms of trade pieces, including star center DeMarcus Cousins. Karl said no. Karl said, “You always got to be ready for the possibility of a great trade that could come your way.”

It has been well-noted that Karl and Cousins do not have the strongest of relationships, and that has been the case since the hire. Cousins wasn’t happy with the way things were handled with the firing of head coach Michael Malone and hiring of Karl.

Cousins even stated that he was a bit upset that he was not consulted before any of this happened and that hiring Karl would be a solid move, but he wasn’t asked about what he thought first.

So, should the Kings deal Cousins?

Why Trading DeMarcus Cousins Is A Good Idea

Cousins and Karl have had a rocky relationship since the beginning and ditching the star center for a possible “great trade” could be something the organization can’t pass up. Heck, in order to get a guy who scores 24 points and grabs 12 rebounds a night, the Kings could get a ton in return.

Imagine the Kings are offered a top player from another team along with a first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. They have to take it. Build for the future and a possible fresh start with legendary head coach George Karl.

The GM hired Karl for a reason and he would be giving in to Cousins’ “whine until I get my way” tactic. Cousins is a great player, but there are also other great players on the team and in this league that could develop a strong relationship with Coach Karl.

Why Trading DeMarcus Cousins Is A Horrible Idea

Karl is a 63-year-old head coach with a history of health problems. He took the Sacramento job as kind of a final try type of deal to see if he could just win one NBA title before calling it quits for good. If he can’t lead the Kings to a record better than 28-54 next season with the young talent that’s on board, he’s likely to be gone.

Ditching Cousins would likely mean the Kings would be starting from scratch again, trying to draft young talent in the post and wait for it to develop. Even the players that the Kings would get for Cousins wouldn’t be enough to fill a huge post void of 24 points and 12 boards.

Sure, Cousins and Karl have had a rough relationship, but Sacramento isn’t doing nearly enough to keep its superstar happy. Once they let Karl know that Cousins is untouchable, he will begin to trust the organization once again and a relationship can be built from it.

Make Cousins happy and you’ll be a solid NBA franchise.

Should Kings Trade DeMarcus Cousins?

The Kings would be wise to hold onto Cousins for as long as they can before he self-destructs. The big man is a rare talent these days and he could be a centerpiece for the organization years down the line. Karl only has a few years left in him as he’s in his final stretch as a head coach, so if they trade Cousins and Karl retires two years later with no rings, the Kings lose.

Cousins and Karl have all offseason to try and hash things out, to work out a plan for the future.

Sacramento is a mediocre team, but a future needs to be built around the big man and it starts with this year’s draft. With a lottery pick forthcoming, the team can add some guard play or another post presence to team up with Boogie and create a dynamic duo that leads the team back to the playoffs.

Trading Cousins would be silly and, for the sake of the organization, it would lead to titles for the team that picked him up.

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