DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Love, NBA trade rumors: Celtics in the mix?

Two of the biggest names frequently brought up in NBA trade discussions amongst fans are Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins and Cavaliers forward Kevin Love.

It’s becoming increasingly clear, however, that Cousins is not going anywhere. He has three-years and $15.8 million remaining on his current deal and he’s averaging a beastly 27.6 points and 11.4 points per game. The Kings have won five of their last six games, Rajon Rondo is playing well, and Cousins just put up an NBA-season high 56 points Monday night in a narrow loss to the Hornets. In other words, even if Cousins went all Blake Griffin on the entire Kings front office at this point, he wouldn’t be traded. The Kings don’t have the most brilliant minds in the NBA running their team, but it’s painfully obvious that Cousins is just coming into his own as a top-five NBA talent.

Love is a different story. Tyronn Lue may very well get Love to finally gel with LeBron and Kyrie Irving. But even if everything is Hunky-Dory by the end of the regular season there will still be major, major doubts as to whether or not the Cavs can compete with the Warriors (who are the measuring-stick for every single team in the league, regardless of conference). This may be a “change for the sake of change” type of situation for the Cavs.

The Celtics have been one of the most discussed teams when it comes to potential blockbuster trades and they might not even have to relinquish one of their upcoming Nets picks in orderto pull off a trade with Cleveland. A trade of Avery Bradley (defensively tough guard, $7.7 million, 3 years), Jared Sullinger (Ohio native, $2.5 million, 1 year) and Amir Johnson (tough as nails pro, $12 million, 2 years) in exchange for Love ($19.6 million, 5 years) and a throw-in like shooting guardJared Cunningham ($947K, 1 year) would work moneywise and would provide both teams with elements they need this season.