NBA Rumors: Latest on Potential DeMarcus Cousins Trade, Donatas Motiejunas, More
The 2016-17 NBA season is young, but the news cycle is active with buzz on potential midseason trades and free-agent signings. Many teams remain unsatisfied with their rosters and are keeping their eyes open for players who could make them better.
Let's check in with a star who might be on the move, a restricted free agent who could finally be getting a deal done and an injured player whose team recently released him.
The Sacramento Kings haven't made the playoffs in 11 seasons, and they haven't been particularly close to qualifying for the postseason in any of those campaigns. The last six lottery seasons have come with star center DeMarcus Cousins on the team, and his name has been a staple in trade rumors for a long time.
According to Amico Hoops' Sam Amico, several team executives and general managers believe the Kings are holding on to Cousins only because "they have no choice." Sacramento reportedly overvalues the 26-year-old big man in trade discussions. Many consider Cousins to be a loose cannon, so that contributes to his reputation around the league.
The Kings are currently stuck in a hopeless cycle of being a below-average but not terrible team because they have Cousins to carry them. They've picked between fourth and eighth in the NBA draft for eight consecutive years, and they've made poor decisions with those selections.
Sacramento trading Cousins for some young prospects and some draft picks might help the squad bottom out and get a top-three pick in the loaded 2017 draft class (the 0-6 Philadelphia 76ers can choose to swap picks if the Kings are in the top 10, but they'll probably be even worse). It's always tough for a team to get rid of its best player willingly, but that may be the best option for Sacramento.
Donatas Motiejunas
The Houston Rockets have gotten excellent production out of their big men early in the season. Ryan Anderson, Clint Capela, Nene and Montrezl Harrell have all meshed well with James Harden, who's playing point guard and doing a great job of getting his 4s and 5s good looks.
That corps of post players in Houston could grow later this month with the addition of a familiar face. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that the Rockets have "ramped up their attempts" to retain Donatas Motiejunas, a restricted free agent who went unsigned during the offseason. The team is looking at a multiyear deal starting around $7 million annually.
The team has set Thanksgiving week as an unofficial deadline for getting the big man's deal done. November 23 is a key date because Motiejunas can't be traded this season if a team signs him after that.
Motiejunas played a big role for the Rockets in 2014-15 but was decidedly less effective in 2015-16 because of persistent back issues. If he can rediscover his three-point stroke from two seasons ago (36.8 percent from downtown) and come back to the team in shape, he could be a great asset in head coach Mike D'Antoni's pace-and-space offensive attack.
Lance Stephenson
Lance Stephenson experienced the NBA's ultimate version of adding insult to injury Wednesday. Just three days after the 26-year-old injured his groin in Friday's contest against the Phoenix Suns, the New Orleans Pelicans released him.
According to Stein, the injury-riddled Pelicans didn't want to get rid of him, but Stephenson's injury gave them just 11 healthy players, and they didn't know if it could qualify for the hardship exception that allows a team to acquire a 16th player. Stein added that sources have told him the Pelicans haven't totally given up on the swingman:
Stephenson is expected to miss six to 10 weeks recovering from the surgery that his injury necessitated. But it was a curious decision to get rid of a player who was earning 27.0 minutes of playing time before being sidelined, albeit for a team missing much of its depth.
This should be an interesting situation to keep tabs on as Stephenson nears his recovery. He showed some nice sixth-man potential with the Memphis Grizzlies at the end of last season, and there should be some teams looking at him once he's healthy. We'll see if Stephenson considers returning to New Orleans even though the team released him.
