NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Pre-Draft Reports Before Start of 2015 NBA Draft

The 2015 NBA draft is just hours away, and the picture of what many teams' plans are still remains cloudy. While Karl-Anthony Towns is set to go No. 1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst (h/t RealGM), the rest of the draft, even the second overall pick, is still up in the air. 

Continue below for the draft order and the latest rumors before the festivities in Brooklyn, New York, kick off. 

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Pick	Team
1	Minnesota Timberwolves
2	Los Angeles Lakers
3	Philadelphia 76ers
4	New York Knicks
5	Orlando Magic
6	Sacramento Kings
7	Denver Nuggets
8	Detroit Pistons
9	Charlotte Hornets
10	Miami Heat
11	Indiana Pacers
12	Utah Jazz
13	Phoenix Suns
14	Oklahoma City Thunder
15	Atlanta Hawks
16	Boston Celtics
17	Milwaukee Bucks
18	Houston Rockets
19	Washington Wizards
20	Toronto Raptors
21	Dallas Mavericks
22	Chicago Bulls
23	Portland Trail Blazers
24	Cleveland Cavaliers
25	Memphis Grizzlies
26	San Antonio Spurs
27	Los Angeles Lakers
28	Boston Celtics
29	Brooklyn Nets
30	Golden State Warriors

DeMarcus Cousins

The DeMarcus Cousins saga continues as the Los Angeles Lakers are trying to work on a deal with the Sacramento Kings to send the All-Star big man to LA, according to the Los Angeles Daily News' Mark Medina. 

It was reported on Wednesday by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski that the Lakers and Kings were "discussing possible frameworks of a trade." But Medina reports that the talks might not be going anywhere. 

The Kings have constantly told the media that they have no interest in trading Cousins. The Sacramento Bee's Ailene Voisin's heard the sentiment directly from Kings vice president Vlade Divac.

But an NBA source told Medina that Cousins "would not be unhappy if he got moved to the Lakers." 

With the No. 2 pick in the draft, the Lakers will have a decision to make between Duke's Jahlil Okafor and Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell. But Medina writes, "the Lakers could use their No. 2 pick as part of a trade package to acquire...Cousins."

The consensus on the issue, though, is that Cousins stays in Sacramento. 

While Cousins might stay, ESPN has reported that head coach George Karl wants to deal the All-Star, and according to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, Karl's actions throughout the week's events have put a strain on the coach's relationship with owner Vivek Ranadive. 

Cousins averaged 24.1 points and 12.7 rebounds per game this past season and was quoted on Twitter saying he wants to stay in Sacramento.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics are doing everything they can to move up in the draft, according to CBS Sports' Ken Berger. With picks at 16 and 28 in the first round and with a young core of players, Boston is ready to hit the market to draft a more NBA-ready difference-maker. 

According to CSN New England, Windhorst reported on SportsCenter that the Celtics were ready to "make a 'Godfather' trade offer to the Philadelphia 76ers if Duke's Jahlil Okafor should slip to the No. 3 spot." The Lakers would most likely choose D'Angelo Russell with the second overall pick in this hypothetical scenario.

Boston would have to break up that young core, and according to ESPN's Marc Stein, they're willing to do just that. 

This comes after the Celtics offered Marcus Smart to the Sixers along with Kelly Olynyk and the No. 16 pick for Nerlens Noel and the No. 3 selection on Wednesday, according to Sports Illustrated's Jake Fischer. The Sixers turned down that offer. 

In Mannix's latest mock draft, he has the Sixers taking Russell with the third selection.

New York Knicks

Earlier in the week, the New York Knicks were in discussions with the Phoenix Suns for point guard Eric Bledsoe and the No. 13 selection for the Knicks' fourth overall pick, according to the Sporting News' Sean Deveney. 

The Knicks have plenty of options on their hands. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, team president Phil Jackson has plenty of options to weigh—here's what Jackson had to say:

"

We're still listening to opportunities that might come our way and drafts sometimes do that—give you potential that you just can't walk away from. You have to be open and ready for that. And we're dealing with that and the information that's coming out. ... They [offers] have been enough to mostly say, 'Hmm, that's nice and what else?,' then move on. But we're still open.

"

But ESPN's Chris Broussard reported that sources told him that talks were dormant between the Knicks and Suns. That is, until he spoke with those in the Knicks organization: 

If a deal with Bledsoe cannot be made, the Knicks will most likely be drafting a point guard, and if Russell is off the board, their options are limited.

The Knicks are looking for the pieces to put together Jackson's triangle offense and have expressed interest in Kentucky's Trey Lyles, as well, according to Broussard.