FanPost

Could Demarcus Cousins be Traded to Milwaukee?

Demarcus Cousins's could end up playing for Milwaukee this upcoming season if the Bucks are willing to sacrifice potential future all-stars.

It appears that Boogie's tenure with the Sacramento Kings is coming to a quick end, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Cousins traded before or during the upcoming NBA season. Many analysts have made predictions of sending the superstar center to big-market teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, but Milwaukee could make a push for the superstar.

Recently, Hoopshabit suggested that a Boogie-to-Milwaukee is not as far-fetched as previously thought. Although it's important to remember that its only Hoopshabit, it does bring up the idea of Boogie playing in Milwaukee. The problem with the proposed trade (besides favoring the Bucks and Nets) is future cap problems that would be associated with this deal for Milwaukee. If the Bucks are trading for Boogie, it's assumed that John Hammond would hope to resign Boogie once his contract expires in 2018. However the problem is even with the rising cap, Milwaukee would not be able to afford the contracts of Boogie (who would be resigned to a max extension in 2018), Giannis (max contract extension), Jabari (another max extension), and Khris Middleton (who signed a max contract last year). So in order to trade for Boogie, the Bucks would need to give up at least one of the core 3 of Giannis, Jabari, or Khris. Given that Khris is one of the few great shooters on Milwaukee and Giannis is the face of Milwaukee, it appears that Jabari Parker would have to be traded to Sacramento in order to get a taste of Demarcus Cousins in Milwaukee. With that being said, Boogie would fix Milwaukee's glaring hole for a defensive starting-caliber center and would bring a big name to Milwaukee, something GM John Hammond has appeared to want as of late.

What the Bucks would lose in a potential deal:

When looking at what the Bucks would have to give up, we can look at past deals for a superstar to predict how much the acquisition of Boogie would cost Milwaukee (or any team for that matter).

The James Harden deal: In 2012, OKC traded then 6th Man of the Year James Harden along with Cole Aldrich, Lazar Hayward, and Daequan Cook to the Rockets in exchange for veteran guard Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb (who was drafted with the 12th pick in the 2012 draft), two 1st round picks, along with a second rounder. When Harden was traded, he was not a superstar; he was a great young player though, but not as valuable as Demarcus Cousins currently is. So in order for the Bucks to acquire Boogie, they would need to give up slightly more than the worth of a lottery pick (Lamb), two 1st's, and a quality veteran player (Martin).

The Kevin Love deal: Shortly after the 2014 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired PF Kevin Love from Minnesota in a three team deal from Minnesota. The Timberwolves acquired 1st overall pick Andrew Wiggins, former 1st overall pick Anthony Bennett, and veteran Thaddeus Young. The Sixers (third team involved) acquired two salaries (Alexey Shved and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute) and Miami's 2015 first round selection via Cleveland. Kevin Love's value should be very similar to Boogie's value, so Boogie should fetch a similar price from Milwaukee; this price would be a top prospect, lottery ticket prospect (Bennett had just come off a down season, but was still a former 1st overall pick nonetheless), a productive veteran player, and a mid-late first round pick.

So what would Milwaukee have to give up?

As previously noted in the introduction, the trade mentioned on hoopshabit has many flaws, but it does provide the groundwork to a potential Boogie trade. In an attempt to recreate a superstar trade, this potential 3-team-trade was formed:

To Milwaukee: Demarcus Cousins, Rondae-Hollis-Jefferson

To Sacramento: Jabari Parker, Greg Monroe, Michael-Carter-Williams, Bojan Bogdanovic, and a 2017 top 10 protected first round pick via Milwaukee.

To Brooklyn: Rudy Gay, Kosta Koufos

NBA Trade Machine verification here

Analysis of the proposed deal:

For Milwaukee, they finally get the superstar that they have been waiting for in addition to dumping Greg Monroe and solving the problem at center. The power forward slot that once belonged to Jabari Parker is now free and will be utilized by John Henson in the starting lineup, forming a LONG starting lineup of Delly-Middleton-Giannis-Henson-Cousins. This starting lineup could potentially be one of the best defensive starting lineups in the NBA, and that's really exciting to think about. In addition, the Bucks acquire Rondae-Hollis-Jefferson, a SG who is a great defender and a potential threat from the three-point-line; he was drafted just last year and is only 21. However, losing Jabari Parker and a potential lottery pick is going to sting.

For Sacramento, they aren't getting the king's ransom that they so desperately desire, but it's the best proposal they will see. They get former second overall pick Jabari Parker, a player who showed major growth towards the end of the season, and was nearly averaging 20PPG after the all-star-break. They also acquire an offensive threat in Greg Monroe, a very young center who was productive in the post last year. They also acquire their new starting point guard, Michael-Carter-Williams, a player who could be an all-star if he develops a shot. Traded from Brooklyn, the Kings acquire a great bench player in Bogdanovic. In addition, the Kings also get a top ten protected pick in this year's draft. With this trade, the Kings infuse youth and potential into their lineup, a move their fans have to be excited about.

For Brooklyn, they finally get another scoring option in Rudy Gay. The Nets will still run their offense through Brook Lopez, but Gay gives them a good second scoring option to go to. In the deal the Nets also get a much-needed backup center in Koufos (this is important because the only other option at center for the Nets was Henry Sims). Losing Rondae-Hollis-Jefferson stings the team a bit, but the sting is lessened by the fact that perhaps the Nets can compete this year, and won't have to lose much when they swap draft picks with the Celtics once again this year.

My opinion, final words:

In my opinion, I think the Bucks should stray away from acquiring a superstar, because in order to do so, you have to give up Jabari Parker. There's no way around it, unless you want to give up Giannis. One could make the argument to give up Middleton, but then you're giving up the only good and consistent shooter on the Bucks, and leave the starting SG duties to the likes of Rashad Vaughn, Malcolm Brogdon, or Rondae-Hollis-Jefferson, and I don't think any of those players are ready to be starters on a potential playoff team. Moreover, with two years left on Boogie's contract, I don't think I would willing to part with Jabari Parker's prime years unless Boogie gave a verbal commitment to resigning with the Bucks for at least another three years. With that being said, acquiring a superstar would be great for Milwaukee in terms of publicity, especially with the new stadium coming soon.

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