NBA Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz on DeMarcus Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein, More
We're not even a month into the 2016-17 NBA season and rumors are already cropping up regarding several of the Sacramento Kings' key players.
In this case, that means DeMarcus Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein and Omri Casspi have all seen their names surface in preliminary trade rumblings as the Kings try to snap their 10-year postseason drought and carve out a path to prosperity.
But for now, uncertainty is dominating the Kings and the statuses of some of their core talents with the Feb. 23 trade deadline still months away.
Kings Growing Frustrated With Cousins?
DeMarcus Cousins is arguably the NBA's most talented center, but the Kings are reportedly considering a divorce if the two-time All-Star doesn't fix his attitude problems.
Speaking on Inside the NBA, Kings minority owner Shaquille O'Neal disclosed that Cousins' relative immaturity on the court and in the locker room could force the Kings to part ways with the double-double machine.
"In the previous years, he's been hot-headed, he hasn't shown great leadership qualities," O'Neal said, per CBS Sports' Matt Moore. "I'm hearing talk that if things don't start to become correct, then they may be looking in another direction."
O'Neal's remarks came around the same time that ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon reported there's a sense around the NBA that the Kings could try to deal Cousins and extract peak return value for the big man before he hits free agency:
"Consensus among several league sources I asked about the DeMarcus Cousins/Sacramento situation: The Kings would trade him before the deadline if they were smart. The logic is that Cousins is extremely unlikely to return to Sacramento once he becomes a free agent, and the Kings can maximize his trade value when he still has another full season remaining on his contract.
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If Cousins is moved onto the trade block, teams shouldn't hesitate to throw the kitchen sink at Sacramento to try to secure his services.
The 26-year-old has averaged at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and three assists twice over the past three seasons, with the Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love the only other player to meet those statistical benchmarks over that span.
As those numbers indicate, Cousins' skill set is among the most rare in the NBA. For now, Sacramento should demand a king's ransom since they'll have until the 2017-18 trade deadline to dangle him in front of prospective trade partners.
Cauley-Stein Reportedly Staying Put
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported the Kings are "open to moving the second-year big man, who wants more of a role than he has under new Kings coach Dave Joerger," but the 2015 No. 6 overall pick is evidently staying put for the time being.
According to CSN Bay Area's James Ham, "the Kings intend to hold onto the 23-year-old big. They regard him as one of their best defenders and they like his efficiency and energy off the bench."
Through nine games, Cauley-Stein is averaging just 13.8 minutes per game off the bench, and his numbers have plummeted as a result. At present, the Kentucky Wildcats product is averaging 4.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game after he posted 7.0 points and 5.3 boards in 21.4 minutes a night as a rookie.
What's more concerning, though, is how Cauley-Stein has failed to positively affect Sacramento's defense throughout the first few weeks of the season:
| On Court | 98.9 | 113.9 | -15.0 |
| Off Court | 103.5 | 105.1 | -1.6 |
However, Cauley-Stein has maintained a positive approach regarding how he can fit into Joerger's system.
"Just trying to figure out where you fit in with our team, we’ve got a lot of vets and I’m still young, so it’s different," he said, per Ham. "You’ve got to try and gain everyone’s trust again with new coaches and new players."
It may be a struggle for now, but if Cauley-Stein can body up bigs in the post and effectively shut down perimeter players on switches in the pick-and-roll, he should be able to appease the defensive-minded Joerger and secure more playing time in the weeks ahead.
Casspi Hasn't Requested a Trade
Like Cauley-Stein, Casspi appears to be part of the Kings' future—for now.
According to Ham, Casspi's agent met with the Kings to discuss his client's role, but he has not requested a trade at this early juncture in the season.
"Zero truth to that. Zero," Casspi said of the trade rumors in a text message, per Ham.
However, it wouldn't be hard to fault Casspi for requesting a trade down the line.
The 28-year-old sharpshooter—who drilled 40.9 percent of his threes a season ago—has been used sparingly thus far by Joerger. Specifically, he's appeared in six games and averaged 15.3 minutes per contest primarily as a bench weapon.
And while he's made just 2-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc to start the season, Casspi is the kind of catch-and-shoot playmaker who can help bring Sacramento's offense alive from three.
Now 4-7 on the season, the Kings are shooting a paltry 33.1 percent from three. Perhaps even more concerning is that Sacramento is converting 34.0 percent of its catch-and-shoot triples and only 33.7 percent on treys when a player is designated as "open" (defender four to six feet away), according to NBA.com's stats database.
So even though he may not be the most polished or disciplined defender, Casspi fills a big need for the Kings and should become a bigger part of Joerger's scheme as he sheds his early-season woes.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.
