NBA Trade Rumors: DeMarcus Cousins To Cavs, Kevin Love To Lakers, D’Angelo Russell To Kings In Blockbuster Three-Way Trade
Current NBA trade rumors indicate that if DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Love both stay with the their current teams this coming season, it will be a huge surprise. Cousins and Love have been mentioned in the rumor mill this entire offseason, and at some point, the right deal is going to come along.
According to iTech Post, the right deal for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings may involve a third team: the Los Angeles Lakers. Reports are signaling that the defending NBA champions and their West Coast counterparts are discussing a trade that would send DeMarcus Cousins to Cleveland, Kevin Love to Los Angeles, and D’Angelo Russell to Sacramento. The Lakers would likely be asked to add another young player or draft choice as part of this three-team swap.
Word has it that during Team USA’s ongoing run in the 2016 Olympics, Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving has been selling Cousins on the idea of joining him in Cleveland next season. Of course, Cousins can’t make that happen on his own, but he’s supposedly being shopped around the league by the Kings, so a trade involving the NBA All-Star center is very possible.
Cleveland and Sacramento have reportedly been discussing a trade for some time, but they have not been able to come to an agreement. There was some talk earlier in the summer that the Phoenix Suns were getting involved in the discussions using point guard Eric Bledsoe as a bargaining chip, but that potential deal seems to have lost steam, as detailed by Yibada.
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The latest rumor is that the rebuilding Los Angeles Lakers are now part of this trade conversation, but they would have to be willing to part with point guard D’Angelo Russell and other assets to make this deal work. Russell is very talented, but had a rather rocky first season in the NBA. The feeling around the league is that the Lakers are not completely sold on the idea of handing the reins to Russell as their point guard of the future.
It has been widely reported that the Cavs would like to add DeMarcus Cousins in order to keep pace with the Golden State Warriors’ “super team.” Cleveland has a strong roster, but they lack a top-flight center. Considering that Kevin Love has not been an ideal fit with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, this trade could be just what the Cavaliers need to stay ahead of Kevin Durant and the Warriors.
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Sacramento is in a tough spot after a poor 2015-16 season and losing point guard Rajon Rondo to the Chicago Bulls in free agency. DeMarcus Cousins appears to have worn out his welcome in California’s capital city, and replacing Rondo with D’Angelo Russell (plus another player or draft pick) would be a solid first step in the Kings’ rebuilding process.
The Lakers lack star power after the retirement of Kobe Bryant, and while they have some good young talent, Kevin Love would immediately be the team’s veteran star and leader upon landing in Los Angeles. Love has shown in the past that when he is a primary option, he is extremely productive. He’s still very much in his prime as a player at age 27, so the best of Kevin Love could still be yet to come. As an added bonus, Love is from Santa Monica, California, and went to college at UCLA, so he already has strong ties to the area.
NBA trade rumors centered around DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Love persist, and now the Lakers are said to be part of these ongoing talks. It certainly seems that if neither Cousins or Love are dealt this summer, it won’t be from lack of trying.
[Photo by Mark J. Terrill/AP Images]
