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It's not an NBA season if there isn't news of trade discussions surrounding former Kentucky Wildcats star DeMarcus Cousins.
This time around, according to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro, the talks are being brought up by the Phoenix Suns. Yes, the two teams notorious for playing the most Kentucky Wildcats are reportedly discussing a trade for perhaps the most prodigious Cat in the NBA right now.
The possibility of Cousins reuniting with his former Kentucky teammate Eric Bledsoe along with former Cats Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis is a strong possibility in this situation, as it is evident that none of those players would be sent to Sacramento. Instead, this trade is being surrounded by former NC State star TJ Warren, Alex Len who was the 5th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, and apparently, a surplus of future draft picks.
The Suns have all of their future draft picks to use at their disposal, as well as 2017 and 2021 first round picks that Phoenix received from the Miami Heat in the Goran Dragic trade. Considering that Sacramento has a glaring need for a point guard, and both Miami and Phoenix sit with just 19 wins with a point guard loaded draft upcoming, those picks serve high value.
Even though the Kings were reportedly committed to signing Cousins to a $200 million extensions after this season, this trade makes some sense for the Kings. As previously stated, two top ten picks along with the likely lottery pick Sacramento will have already can fill voids at the point guard and power forward positions. TJ Warren is a promising small forward who was averaging 20 points per game before suffering a major injury earlier this year, and Len can offer some good services if he ever gets his game together.
For the Suns, acquiring Cousins could potentially be what ends the dreary rebuild that Phoenix has suffered through. With growing stars in Eric Bledsoe (21.2 ppg) and Devin Booker (20.8 ppg), the addition of Cousins could make this Phoenix offense an unstoppable force for years to come. Obviously, it would take a lot of team building for it to work, but if it does work, the Suns should be a perennial playoff team for the foreseeable future.