Evaluating the Cousins Trade.

K

kingdivac

All-Star
#1
#1
I'm surprised the Kings did not get at least 2 first round picks (multiple years) and a 2nd back from the Pelicans. The Kings ownership obviously balked at a huge contract. Cousins is playing at the top of his game this year, but the Kings are dealing with 4-5 injuries to players - could they have just thrown in the towel a little early? Was this trade rushed, and was it better than what the Celtics were offering?

I liked Buddy Hield as a prospect last year, but he seems to have underwhelmed some in his rookie season numbers-wise - perhaps he can get it together more - both Hield and Galloway have similar mediocre stats for the Pelicans this season

I can only believe Vlade seriously wants to try out PapaG in minutes. Joerger, I'm sure, did no want to trade Cousins as he is their "anchor" player in the lineup, but this is mostly about the contract and money I think.
It seems somewhat like a throw-away trade especially in the short term, and is rather poor for a top 3 player Center and Post player in the NBA.
 
L

LA King Fan II

Bench
#2
#2
I think it is a reflection of how few teams were interested. Not much in return to say the least.

Please spare me the loyalty thing. With interest in him down around the league, cuz knew he'd make 40-60 million more by staying with the kings....what a guy! Talented or not, he was running with Matt Barnes, and exhibiting assinine behavior consistently.

I think keeping Rudy Gay as a King until it was too late was equally stupid. Gonna be tough to watch, but we'll see. I wish they got more for him, but that would have meant trading him last year instead.
 
roasthawg

roasthawg

Starter
#3
#3
I was shocked to see they traded him for a mid first rounder and Hield. That said they obviously we're taking the best deal they could get whatever that may be and this was clearly it. Is what it is, tough to swallow with the pick swap still looming but I guess it's time to hurry up and lose some games.
 
Kingsfan23

Kingsfan23

All-Star
#5
#5
I hope some can shine some light on Hield at least. I hope he's still a good prospect. Actually seems similar to Bogdan in profile
 
Last edited:
K

kingdivac

All-Star
#6
#6
Could the recent game the Kings beat Boston with Cousins out have been more impactful on management or were their minds made up at an earlier point?

Gay is another problem.....the team seems to perform fine without him, maybe not a good fit for the team chemistry - but now he has a lot of work ahead of him and is a question-mark.

Kings have now committed to foundation work, again.
 
jcwkings

jcwkings

All-Star
#7
#7
Kingsfan23 said:
I hope some can shine some light on Hield at least. I hope he's still a good prospect.
Click to expand...
I think his ceiling is a slightly more athletic JJ Reddick, he will be a fantastic shooter in this league, but is only competent at off the dribble stuff and attacking the basket. The move was A) Remove Cousins from franchise
B) Essentially get three picks in the top 35 of this years draft plus a guy you project to be at least a solid starter in Hield

The big question is how toxic was Cousins not just on the court(becauee that is well accounted for) but in the things we as fans dont see? If this is the best return you were offered.

I have no clue, but I guess we will start to find out over the coming years.
 
K

kingdivac

All-Star
#8
#8
jcwkings said:
I think his ceiling is a slightly more athletic JJ Reddick, he will be a fantastic shooter in this league, but is only competent at off the dribble stuff and attacking the basket. The move was A) Remove Cousins from franchise
B) Essentially get three picks in the top 35 of this years draft plus a guy you project to be at least a solid starter in Hield

The big question is how toxic was Cousins not just on the court(becauee that is well accounted for) but in the things we as fans dont see? If this is the best return you were offered.

I have no clue, but I guess we will start to find out over the coming years.
Click to expand...
For this season, does Hield start immediately? I would assume so. Also assuming Cauley Stein starts immediately following Cousins departure.
 
K

kingdivac

All-Star
#9
#9
roasthawg said:
I was shocked to see they traded him for a mid first rounder and Hield. That said they obviously we're taking the best deal they could get whatever that may be and this was clearly it. Is what it is, tough to swallow with the pick swap still looming but I guess it's time to hurry up and lose some games.
Click to expand...
This points at questionable dealings earlier - "chickens coming home to roost".
 
KingsFanGER

KingsFanGER

Starter
#10
#10
Kingsfan23 said:
I hope some can shine some light on Hield at least. I hope he's still a good prospect. Actually seems similar to Bogdan in profile
Click to expand...
Actually not much to shine light on. Very quick release, has found his shot recently, can handle the ball a bit, meaning he isn't like Ben, but you also don't want him as a decision maker with a live dribble. From what I saw not that much of a defender.

Paired with our own and the Pels draft pick I can see this team quickly turn into Viveks dream and Brickys worst nightmare.

A lineup of Lawson, Hield, Temple, Tolliver, WCS will be able to play at a very fast pace and will be able to knock down shots especially, when you have guys like Ben and Malachi off the bench. For bigger teams we can sub in KK or Papa.
This is the junkyard version of the Warriors without Steph Curry, Green or Iggy. :D
Draft a PG and keep developing the youth and maybe in a couple of years you can think about winning more than losing.
 
K

KingsFan80

Guest
#12
#12
kingdivac said:
I'm surprised the Kings did not get at least 2 first round picks (multiple years) and a 2nd back from the Pelicans. The Kings ownership obviously balked at a huge contract. Cousins is playing at the top of his game this year, but the Kings are dealing with 4-5 injuries to players - could they have just thrown in the towel a little early? Was this trade rushed, and was it better than what the Celtics were offering?

I liked Buddy Hield as a prospect last year, but he seems to have underwhelmed some in his rookie season numbers-wise - perhaps he can get it together more - both Hield and Galloway have similar mediocre stats for the Pelicans this season

I can only believe Vlade seriously wants to try out PapaG in minutes. Joerger, I'm sure, did no want to trade Cousins as he is their "anchor" player in the lineup, but this is mostly about the contract and money I think.
It seems somewhat like a throw-away trade especially in the short term, and is rather poor for a top 3 player Center and Post player in the NBA.
Click to expand...
At this point, you have to play Papa. Just give him minutes. I honestly think he is a terrible player

I like Hield, but my issue with him is his age. He isn't a "young" player. In 3 years he will be 26. Same as when we drafted WCS. If we had gotten Brandon Ingram that is another story. I just think this FO waited too long to trade Cousins - if that was their intention
 
CruzDude

CruzDude

Senior Member sharing a brew with bajaden
#13
#13
Can't believe this is the only trade for Kings. Gotta be something else in the works for this to make any sense other than a salary dump.
 
jcwkings

jcwkings

All-Star
#14
#14
kingdivac said:
For this season, does Hield start immediately? I would assume so. Also assuming Cauley Stein starts immediately following Cousins departure.
Click to expand...
Depends on how the roster looks like on Thursday. For instance, someone like Tyreke can help a team like this that lacks shot creators, but this seems like a complete blowup if you're waiving Barnes and apparently buying out Tyreke and Galloway plus shopping Collison, Afflalo and Mclemore.
 
K

KingsFan80

Guest
#15
#15
Kingsfan23 said:
I hope some can shine some light on Hield at least. I hope he's still a good prospect. Actually seems similar to Bogdan in profile
Click to expand...
If this FO believed in Bogdan and felt he was the future, then this trade doesn't happen. IMHO the FO knows something --either he isn't coming or he isn't that good
 
captain bill

captain bill

Starter
#17
#17
jcwkings said:
I think his ceiling is a slightly more athletic JJ Reddick, he will be a fantastic shooter in this league, but is only competent at off the dribble stuff and attacking the basket. The move was A) Remove Cousins from franchise
B) Essentially get three picks in the top 35 of this years draft plus a guy you project to be at least a solid starter in Hield

The big question is how toxic was Cousins not just on the court(becauee that is well accounted for) but in the things we as fans dont see? If this is the best return you were offered.

I have no clue, but I guess we will start to find out over the coming years.
Click to expand...
30/10/5. No criminal record. Worked great with Malone.

The big question is not how toxic is Cuz - it's how toxic is Vivek.
 
NoBonus

NoBonus

Starter
#22
#22
Hey, look on the bright side; at least the Kings didn't get "movable pieces"... wasn't that what they called what they got back for Webber?
 
Blastoff

Blastoff

G-League
#23
#23
This was a baseball-style pre-rebuild salary dump. Knowing that, I'm not as upset (still a little) with the lack of value we got in return. While I would have like to get more for Cousins, more being young talent on good contracts and/or another 1st round pick, the market for Cousins is mainly tainted by his lack of a contract extension. Teams don't seem to be willing to sell the farm for a 1 year rental of Cousins. The rumors about better trades out there...I have to assume included higher-profile talent and veterans on contracts longer than a year or bad contracts...hard to go full rebuild when saddled with a Kenny Thomas contract.
 
Heuge

Heuge

Starter
#24
#24
What a dumbass trade. I'm sick to my stomach.

If you are going to trade him, get value. 1.5 years ago. Instead, you put your fanbase through hell with years of hell to come.
 
P

Peter_Gibbons

Starter
#25
#25
The biggest motivation of the trade is MONEY. Vivek is poor by NBA owners standards and he cannot afford to pay anyone $219 million for 5 years.

This kind of tells you that if the team somehow develops another superstar, what will Vivek do then? The salaries are astronomical nowadays and Vivek needs this team to profit more to make a living for his family.

The drafting of Papa was the writing on the wall even though most of us refused to see it that way and only thought Vlade made another horrible move.

The issue is not the fact that Cousins was traded, but the fact that we got so little in return. Could we have gotten the Nets' 1st rounder that the Celtics own?

The word is the Kings could've had DeAngelo Russel from the Lakers plus a first rounder. Their 1st round pick would be much better than the Pelicans' because even with Cuz, the Lakers are not a playoff team this year.

We still have a good amount of time before the trade deadline and we should've waited until the last day or two. Vlade and Vivek, both being horrible negotiators, got nervous and took the Pelicans' deal. Why not wait until it gets close to the deadline and have the teams up their bids? Teams will always tell you that its all they will offer when there is still 4 days left. The level of incompetence is unreal.

So this was a very bad trade for the Kings. You can rebuild, you can trade Cousins, but get something close to equal value back. That's our greatest and probably only real asset. We traded it for a question mark in Buddy and a late teens 1st rounder + 2nd rounder. Wow
 
NoBonus

NoBonus

Starter
#26
#26
This trade was about money, but not Vivek's money. DMC was going to get that super-max extension... the Kings had really no choice but to give it to him for him to stay in Sac, right? But DMC, as great as he is, and DMC is one of my all-time Kings favs, has a lot of issues he is making no progress on overcoming... I am not going to hang specific digs on DMC, but there are too many issues. When a player gets super-max type money, what kind of player do you think of? The teams best player, a winner, and a leader on an off the court. DMC is simply not all of these things. I think of players who, over time, deserved that fat of a check: MJ, Magic, Bird, KG, and so on. DMC simply is not the complete package and the team is not winning with him as the cornerstone. You can't pay him that much... it is the wrong salary for DMC and the only choice here is to trade him.

Peter_Gibbons said:
The biggest motivation of the trade is MONEY.
Click to expand...
 
FaStRmAn

FaStRmAn

Starter
#27
#27
I will not come on here and bash this trade. They didn't get much back because Cousins made himself into an undesirable player. He has bankrupted his credibility with NBA refs. This was probably the best deal they could get. With PapaG and Skal, they have big man prospects.

Reality is they weren't winning WITH Cousins. The NBA as a whole has moved away from dominant big men rule wise and style wise. Whether you like it or not, the NBA is a jump shooting league. Hopefully this will help with that transition. I will reserve judgement
 
captain bill

captain bill

Starter
#28
#28
NoBonus said:
This trade was about money, but not Vivek's money. DMC was going to get that super-max extension... the Kings had really no choice but to give it to him for him to stay in Sac, right? But DMC, as great as he is, and DMC is one of my all-time Kings favs, has a lot of issues he is making no progress on overcoming... I am not going to hang specific digs on DMC, but there are too many issues. When a player gets super-max type money, what kind of player do you think of? The teams best player, a winner, and a leader on an off the court. DMC is simply not all of these things. I think of players who, over time, deserved that fat of a check: MJ, Magic, Bird, KG, and so on. DMC simply is not the complete package and the team is not winning with him as the cornerstone. You can't pay him that much... it is the wrong salary for DMC and the only choice here is to trade him.
Click to expand...
Wrong. Dude is gonna get multiple chips before he's done. Dudes you listed had competent front offices backing them. How the hell do you think MJ would've looked to the public if he was in Sac? Dude would have straight murdered George Karl.
 
K

KingsFan80

Guest
#29
#29
Peter_Gibbons said:
The biggest motivation of the trade is MONEY. Vivek is poor by NBA owners standards and he cannot afford to pay anyone $219 million for 5 years.

This kind of tells you that if the team somehow develops another superstar, what will Vivek do then? The salaries are astronomical nowadays and Vivek needs this team to profit more to make a living for his family.

The drafting of Papa was the writing on the wall even though most of us refused to see it that way and only thought Vlade made another horrible move.

The issue is not the fact that Cousins was traded, but the fact that we got so little in return. Could we have gotten the Nets' 1st rounder that the Celtics own?

The word is the Kings could've had DeAngelo Russel from the Lakers plus a first rounder. Their 1st round pick would be much better than the Pelicans' because even with Cuz, the Lakers are not a playoff team this year.

We still have a good amount of time before the trade deadline and we should've waited until the last day or two. Vlade and Vivek, both being horrible negotiators, got nervous and took the Pelicans' deal. Why not wait until it gets close to the deadline and have the teams up their bids? Teams will always tell you that its all they will offer when there is still 4 days left. The level of incompetence is unreal.

So this was a very bad trade for the Kings. You can rebuild, you can trade Cousins, but get something close to equal value back. That's our greatest and probably only real asset. We traded it for a question mark in Buddy and a late teens 1st rounder + 2nd rounder. Wow
Click to expand...
Vivek is far from being close to poor by Owner's standards. This has to do with the FO convincing Vivek it was time to move on because they believed investing that kind of money into DMC wasn't worth it. As I mentioned in another thread, Vlade has told people he struggled to get FAs to Sac because they didn't want to play with Cousins. IMHO he believed this was the only way and Vivek did too. It is sad.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.