NBA Rumors: Five trade destinations for DeMarcus Cousins

There are maybe two other states that are as basketball crazy as North Carolina (Kentucky and Indiana). While Duke and North Carolina dominate the NCAA, the Charlotte Hornets have never had a transcendent talent play for either incarnation of their franchise, Bobcats included.

With the greatest player of all-time in Michael Jordan as the majority owner of the Hornets, might he try to pull some strings to get Sacramento Kings superstar center DeMarcus Cousins to hopefully ignite a 2016 playoff run for the reeling Hornets?

Charlotte entered play Tuesday night with a 22-23 record in the East, in ninth place and a game and a half back of the eighth place Indiana Pacers. The Hornets have been a sub-.500 team since the 2014-15 rebrand and Jordan may look to acquire a franchise centerpiece to build his team around for head coach Steve Clifford.

Charlotte would have to send its star center Al Jefferson to Sacramento along with a first-round pick and maybe another asset that the Kings would want to pull this trade off. Cousins would get to play with a rising point guard in the NBA in Kemba Walker and Jordan could feel confident in that pick-and-roll partnership could make the Hornets relevant in the Eastern Conference for the next several seasons.

With Charlotte’s inability to make the playoffs consistently, the Kings may opt for an unprotected first round pick should the Hornets fail to make the playoffs, further sweetening the deal should they part ways with Cousins.

Charlotte needs its star player and Jordan would certainly have one if he forces the front office to go after Cousins. It isn’t likely that the Kings and Hornets can strike up a deal, but Jefferson is an asset that the Kings could get in return along with a draft pick that would help them at least tread water in life post-Cousins in Northern California.

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