Denver Nuggets

How the Denver Nuggets Could Acquire a Star: DeMarcus Cousins

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:36 p.m. ET

foxsports

With a few big-name players stuck on teams ranked lower than the Nuggets, fans have to wonder if Denver’s chances of landing a big trade are at a season-high.

The Denver Nuggets got their 8th win of the season again Philadelphia on Monday, putting their record at 8-13. With that win, the Nuggets had officially obtained a better ranking the Washington Wizards (7-13), the Sacramento Kings (7-13), and the New Orleans Pelicans (7-15), despite the fact that each of these teams has a genuine star on their roster in John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Anthony Davis.

Now, the Nuggets are facing a series of series of winnable games, as 5 of their next 6 opponents have losing records. If things go well, Denver may find themselves rising further and further above the Kings, Pelicans, and Wizards. If not, then the team is still likely to produce a similar record.

If they can stay on top of these teams by at least a few wins, then the Denver Nuggets might have a legitimate chance at landing one of their stars.

Whether this winds up happening or not, their chances are currently at a season-high. So, we are going to take a look at what trades for John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Anthony Davis might look like.

Mar 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (left) with forward Omri Casspi prior to the game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Kings defeated the Suns 108-99. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Kings get C, Jusuf Nurkic PF, Kenneth Faried SF, Wilson Chandler SG, Will Barton

ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine Results: Kings +3 Wins, Nuggets -5 Wins

The Nuggets would have to make a big sacrifice to land Boogie, but fans want him badly. The Kings would upset some fans in this deal but they would receive a plethora of new weapons while taking out the trash. Practicality would be the biggest weapon for Denver in this proposed deal.

Waiting until mid-December, when Sacramento’s Aaron Afflalo is available for trade might increase Denver’s chances of making this trade happen, as the have the salary space to relieve the Kings of Afflalo’s burden. But in the meantime, this proposal looks like the best and most sensible option.

Nov 8, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) reacts to a call during the fourth quarter of the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center. The Sacramento Kings defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 102-94. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Why the Kings would do it:

They’ve been a losing franchise for quite some time now, and could give up their reliance on star-power for a more well rounded team with just as much offensive firepower, if not more. This deal would be essentially offering the Kings a chance to become a serious contender in the bottom half of the Western Conference’s top 8 teams, but at the cost of their star.

More from Nugg Love

They would need a PF, and with this deal, Sacramento could start either Faried or Chandler there, with the other becoming their top bench force. Now, they would have Gay, Chandler, and Barnes all capable of playing both forward spots which would make for a wide variety of rotational looks, arguably capable of adapting to any situation. They would be led by Collison and Gay, who would now have a legitimate starting SG in either Will Barton or Wilson Chandler.

Taking Aaron Afflalo off of the Kings’ hands might help this trade go through, as production to salary ratio is nearly criminal, but he is not trade-able until Dec 15th. Waiting until then and making an offer that includes Afflalo might be the best chance for the Nuggets. Either way, Afflalo would likely drop off the map completely if any Cousins trade with Denver went down. If the Kings accepted Denver’s offer now, they would have a new starting SG, and a new top-tear 6th man. Who each of those roles goes to would be up to them, though I’d start Chandler and bring Barton off the bench.

Most likely, Willie Cauley-Stein would become new starting C. He has the size and athletic ability to defend the paint primarily as a shot-blocking force. Cauely-Stein would likely split minutes with Jusuf Nurkic though, who would bring more of an offensive mindset to the position. Like either Barton or Chandler, Nurkic too could be a monumental bench force for the Kings, as the Bosnian Beast generally dominates second-unit centers. The Kings would be upping their equity in guards and forwards, while also adding more youth and depth down low, and seriously enhancing their bench.

Darren Collison and Rudy Gay would be Sacramento’s unquestioned leaders. Faried will do what Faried does regardless of where he is, and that means getting offensive rebounds, and therefor more shots, for Gay and Collison. The Manimal would also be giving fans something to cheer for with his natural tendency to crank out highlight dunks and blocks with regularity, hopefully softening the blow of losing Cousins. Wilson Chandler, Will Barton, and Jusuf Nurkic would become new secondary offensive weapons for the Kings, who currently have none. They would have better chance to make playoffs, and could also try out a potentially filthy small-ball line-up of Collison, Barton, Gay, Chandler, and Faried.

Want your voice heard? Join the Nugg Love team!

Casspi, Koufos and McLemore have all been liabilities for the Kings. Getting rid of them would be wise. In the meantime, they would transform from a mediocre team with a purebred star into a well rounded top-8 team, with talent at every position. This could be done all without sacrificing the leadership and chemistry of Collison and Gay. From a logical standpoint, it’d be hard to turn this one down.

Jan 23, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) and guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) celebrate during the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 104-101. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Why the Nuggets would do it:

Obviously, for DeMarcus Cousins! His talent is unquestionable, and who knows where he could take this team, surrounded by young talent. Cousins would become Denver’s unquestioned leader, and Danilo Gallinari and Emmanuel Mudiay would have to simply accept that, which may actually come as a welcome relief of pressure.

Gallo seems to play better when defenses are distracted, as he has proven a bit too easy to shut down when receiving a lot of defensive attention. So, adding Cousins into the mix could very likely lead to a far more efficient Gallinari. The same goes for Emmanuel Mudiay. Cousins’ presence alone would open up chances for Gallo and Mudy to exploit scattered defenses.

nuggets

Nugg Love 6wDenver Nuggets: DFS Picks for the Season Opener against the Pelicans

More headlines around FanSided:

9w - Denver Nuggets Fantasy: Implications From Preseason Opener 9w - Emmanuel Mudiay: Analyzing the Art of Passing 12w - Denver Nuggets: Will Malik Beasley Sadly Only Get Insurance Minutes?13w - Top 5 Denver Nuggets with Any Fantasy Basketball Value 15w - Denver Nuggets: There Is No Hope for DeMarcus Cousins Coming to DENMore News at Nugg Love

If you were wondering, I have no idea where or how Gary Harris fits in after the drafting of Jamal Murray, so he is being left out of this completely. But, without Barton and Chandler, Emmanuel Mudiay and Jamal Murray could finally be starting together. This trade would force Emmanuel Mudiay to up his assist game, as feeding the force that is Boogie Cousins would be his new top-priority, with chemistry between him and Murray coming naturally and unforced, with time and experience doing the work.

Like Gallinari, Mudiay could easily thrive with defenses distracted by containing Cousins, and if their focus does shift to Mudiay, well then Cousins would be more freed up. Its a recipe for success, as much of Denver’s struggle comes from a lack of direction, and an overcrowding offensive-minded players. By giving up Chandler, Barton, and Nurkic, Denver would be forced to focus on forming more structured game-plans, all without losing much firepower overall, as Cousins is, well, Cousins.

Boogie could at power forward or center, leaving either Darrell Arthur or Nikola Jokic to make up the front-court with him and Gallo. The Nuggets would want to call rookie center Petr Corneli up into their roster to fill the positional gap left by Jusuf Nurkic. Corneli, who’s biggest attribute is as a lengthy shot-blocker, could split back-up minutes with Kosta Koufos, with both him and Nikola Jokic have a spectacular mentor to move forward with.

My guess is that the Nuggets would be looking at a starting 5 of Mudiay, Murray, Gallinari, Cousins, and Jokic. McLemore and Casspi are essentially useless, and both players may, like Aaron Afflalo, drop off the map completely if this trade went down. They can occasionally catch fire though, and would still be available to play off the Nuggets bench, which would now have much less firepower. Giving them minutes would not be a priority.

Instead, along with Jamal Murray, getting Malik Beasley and Juan Hernangomez more minutes would likely be a goal initiated by this trade. All in all, with how much immediate talent would be given up in this trade, it doesn’t seem too likely that it would boost the Nuggets to a turnaround season. However, this deal would be more of an investment in the Nuggets recent draft picks (a very strong group of youngsters) and the 2017-18 season.

Nov 27, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (center) in the huddle with teammates prior to the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Nuggets defeated the Suns 118-114. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Imagine, if Emmanuel Mudiay and Jamal Murray got to spend the rest of the season starting together, while simultaneously developing chemistry with a Gallinari, Cousins, and Jokic front-court, and then sprinkle some serious development of Hernangomez, Beasley, and Corneli into the mix, and you might start to see how this trade could transform the Nuggets into a force of nature in the near future. In the meantime, they would have an all-star to keep the fans happy, and patient, and could very be a top-8 team starting in 2017, and then going well into the 2020’s.

This proposed deal might upset those who want the Nuggets to get more wins NOW, but for those looking ahead, even just one season from now, it is a dream worth praying for.

This article originally appeared on