This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about the Celtics trying to trade for DeMarcus Cousins.
But this is a bit more definitive.
The Celtics sure have a fetish for stars who accuse Boston’s current players of dirty play.
Cousins got ejected from a December game against the Celtics for throwing Marcus Smart to the floor, and the Kings center accused Smart of taking a cheap shot beforehand. More recently, of course, Kevin Love accused Kelly Olynyk of intentionally dislocating his shoulder.
That might hurt the Celtics’ chances of signing Love, who was once reportedly their top target – which leads to Cousins.
Celtics general manager Danny Ainge has said he’d ideally like to trade his treasure trove of first-round picks – up to 10 over the next four years – for veterans. I doubt Ainge would do that at any cost, but that route sure worked well last time with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joining Paul Pierce in Boston.
Cousins isn’t ready to win like Garnett and Allen were, but he’s extremely talented and productive. Of course, for that reason, the Kings probably aren’t in a rush to trade him – even if George Karl says nobody is untradeable.
If Sacramento is willing to deal the center, though, Boston could put together a nice package of picks. Unfortunately, the Celtics’ most valuable player – Isaiah Thomas – probably would neither intrigue the Kings nor fit well with Cousins in Boston.
There are plenty of hurdles to clear before Cousins winds up with the Celtics. The biggest, by far, is getting the Kings on board. But, for whatever it’s worth, it seems the Celtics already are.