Sir Charles in Charge
Fansided

NBA Trade Rumors: One dream trade target for every contender

By Jay Patel

New Orleans Pelicans Anthony Davis (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
New Orleans Pelicans Anthony Davis (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 9
Next
NEW ORLEANS, LA – DECEMBER 13: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts after a three point shot against the Milwaukee Bucks at Smoothie King Center on December 13, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – DECEMBER 13: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts after a three point shot against the Milwaukee Bucks at Smoothie King Center on December 13, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

Toronto Raptors: DeMarcus Cousins

The Raptors have reinvented themselves quite nicely this year under DeMar DeRozan’s brilliance and 3-point shooting improvement coupled with Lowry’s steady leadership. They are 30-13 and coming off wins over the Cavs and a feisty showing against the Warriors. They have been consistently good in the regular season for the past few seasons only to struggle and falter in the playoffs.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

Yes, part of the problem is that they’ve had to face LeBron James, but they have also needed seven games to beat both the Bucks and Heat in recent playoffs past. Something about the Raptors seems very similar to the Celtics of the recent past or the Bengals of the NFL. They function at high levels in the regular season, but the slow grind and pressure of the playoffs immediately causes them to struggle.

The Celtics realized this and went out and got both Irving and Hayward in the hopes that their games translate better in the playoffs than the Isiah Thomas led Celtic did in the past. The Raptors need to do the same and make a splashy move that could potentially put them over the top. The most obvious target is Demarcus Cousins. While he has a bad reputation around the league for being moody and troublesome, the trio of Lowry, DeRozan, and Coach Casey could really bring out the best in him.

Cousins has dealt with an inept organization in the Kings in the past and a young and inexperienced one in the Pelicans in the present. The Raptors would be the most well run system that he’s been in since his Kentucky days and that would be a huge source of stability for him. For the Raptors, they have both Lowry and Demar locked in for the next few years so the time to go for it is now.

The Celtics, regardless of regular season success, look an year away, the Cavs look the most vulnerable that they have in years, and the Wizards just can’t seem to get any sort of consistency going. Swapping out Jonas and Ibaka for Cousins would give them a real inside-outside punch and make them one of the best passing teams in the league.

One of Cousin’s most understated qualities is his passing skill as a big man. With Lowry and DeRozan spacing the floor, Cousins would really be able to flourish as both a facilitator and scorer.

Home/NBA Rumors