DeMarcus Cousins trade to Celtics ? A look at what works in NBA trading machine

It looks as though George Karl will be shipped out of Sacramento before DeMarcus Cousins, but even if the Kings replace Karl – there’s absolutely no guarantee thatCousins will be a happy camper in Sac Town.

Cousins will no doubt be one of the top names in the NBA trade rumor mill in the next 12 weeks leading up to the league trade deadline on Feb. 18, 2016. The club best positioned to land Cousins via a trade arethe Celtics, who own a handful of promising young players as well as coveted first round draft picks of the lowly Brooklyn Next next summer and in 2018. The Kings will only partwith Cousins if Danny Aingegives them the proverbial Godfather offer. Money-wise (always the first obstacle in league deals), the following would work in the ESPN NBA trade machine:

Celtics acquire:

DeMarcus Cousins (3 years, $15,851,950)

Kings acquire:

Avery Bradley (3 years, $7,730,337)

Marcus Smart (3 years, $3,431, 040)

Jared Sullinger(1 year, $2,569,260)

Terry Rozier (4 years, $1,824,360)

There’s no doubt the Kings would also want one (or more) of the Celtics’ upcoming draft picks in the above deal. If the Nets’ 2016 first rounder was thrown in, most Celtics fans would likely think the deal was too rich. This is the way it works with trades, of course. If the above deal went through without draft picks, it would be Kings fans taking to the streets with pitchforks.