NBA Trade Rumors: Final Outlook on Draft-Day Reports
The NBA draft and trades are so synonymous with each other that it would be safe to assume one wouldn't exist without the other. This year's event is shaping up to be one of the most active in a long time because of team needs and when the talent starts to fall off.
ESPN's Chad Ford wrote in his seventh mock draft that the talent begins to drop significantly around the time Memphis is scheduled to pick at No. 25. That does speak well to the overall depth in the class but leaves many teams with a lot to think about as they try to move up or down.
As the final hours tick away before the 2015 NBA draft begins, rumors are coming out so fast that your head will spin. In an effort to help keep track of things, here's the latest roundup of what's being discussed.
DeMarcus Cousins in the Spotlight
It seems like the drama on draft night starts with the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 2, especially if they have a chance to get DeMarcus Cousins from the Sacramento Kings.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Lakers and Kings have exchanged the framework of a possible deal that is built around Cousins and the second overall pick:
"Kings vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac has pursued a possible deal that would include a bevvy of assets, including the Lakers' No. 2 pick in Thursday's NBA draft, rookies Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson and other draft assets, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Sacramento also would want to unload the remainder of forward Carl Landry's two years, $13.5 million contract, league sources said.
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Of course, the Kings trading Cousins would require a 180 from ownership. Sam Amick of USA Today reported on June 24 that Kings owner Vivek Ranadive said the team has "zero interest" in dealing the 24-year-old.
Ranadive's stance may have been public posturing to increase urgency for teams interested in acquiring Cousins, but Kings head coach George Karl wants to build the roster his way, and that doesn't include the controversial big man.
Wojnarowski reported on June 23 that Karl wants the Kings to trade Cousins and that "around the Kings and Cousins, there is a growing belief the coach-player relationship is irreparable."
The Lakers are fascinating because they aren't built to win now, are carrying a $25 million player in Kobe Bryant who hasn't been able to stay healthy for two years and are reportedly trying to add a player in Cousins who has clashed with coaches before Karl arrived in Sacramento.
As talented as Cousins is—averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds each of the last two years—at some point, all these problems with different coaches become about him and his inability to adjust.
The Kings may not be willing to part with Cousins because he's put up big numbers and is still young, but they can get foundational pieces like Randle and the No. 2 pick if the discussed framework with Los Angeles turns into a reality.
Sacramento Looking at More Moves
In addition to all the talk around Cousins, the Kings may be looking to make a splash with their first pick by dealing it.
According to Wojnarowski, the Kings are looking to move back in the top 10 but have a strong target if they stay at six:
"Sources: Sacramento making calls on possibility of moving back in the Top 10. If Kings stay at No. 6, Mario Heznoja is the strong target.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 25, 2015"
A team like Sacramento, which has missed the playoffs each of the last nine years and hasn't won 30-plus games since 2007-08, needs to put everything on the table right now to get out of this nearly decade-long rut.
That seems to be the path Karl is taking, as Wojnarowski's June 23 report noted the Kings are "pursuing trade scenarios for everyone on the roster."
Whatever the Kings have been doing, including building with Cousins, hasn't been working. There's no point to remain on a sunken ship when the only thing not completely immersed in water is the stern that's been bobbing up and down for years.
Mario Hezonja may be Sacramento's target at six, but if the team is willing to move down a few spots, it may not be 100 percent sold on him or doesn't see a significant gap between him and other players around the same spot.
It could also mean the Kings are confident Hezonja would be around later in the top 10, so trying to acquire more assets while getting their top choice is a good strategy.
Changes in Portland
It's going to be a summer of change for the Portland Trail Blazers. Things already started for the franchise on Wednesday, as the team announced the acquisition of Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh from Charlotte in exchange for Nicolas Batum.
ESPN's Chris Broussard reported that free agent LaMarcus Aldridge is expected to leave Portland this summer.
With the Trail Blazers owning the 23rd pick in the draft, they may not be done making changes. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports the team has had discussions with Philadelphia about moving out of the first round:
That isn't a bad strategy for the Blazers to take if they can make a deal work. Using Ford's analysis that the talent starts to fall off in the mid-20s, the team would be better off taking two players in the 30s instead of reaching for someone at 23 just because that's where they are slotted to pick.
While potentially losing Aldridge would be a huge blow, the cupboard isn't bare in Portland. Vonleh is a talented player who was the ninth overall pick in last year's draft and doesn't turn 20 until August 24.
The Trail Blazers still have Damian Lillard and, assuming he re-signs as a free agent, Wesley Matthews to build around. Those are good starting pieces for a team, though the Western Conference is so good that getting back to the playoffs could be a struggle.
