Boston Celtics Should Not Trade for DeMarcus Cousins

Trade rumors have suggested the Boston Celtics trading for DeMarcus Cousins. This would not be a smart move.

DeMarcus Cousins trade rumors to the Boston Celtics have been in full effect of late. Cousins is a very good player, trading for him is the wrong move for this team and will deter the direction the team is going.

Cousins is a free agent following this season and he is no guarantee to sign in Boston following this season. Trading for Cousins could be a rental for the rest of the season. Even with Cousins, the Celtics are not a championship contender this season. If things do not pan out, the Celtics can let him walk. While true, the cost would be very steep if this were the case.

It would be a high-risk high-reward trade because of what we will likely have to give up to get him. The Celtics may have to part with the Nets pick in this upcoming draft. The Nets pick could land them a guy like Jakob Poetl from Utah. Poetl is a better target for the team because of cost and future pieces.

Poetl is a very solid big and could start at the five with Sullinger sliding over to his more natural position, the four. Poetl is listed at 7 feet 235 pounds. Poetl is averaging a very strong 19.1 ppg and 9.5 rpg in college this season as a sophomore.

Going against Jahlil Okafor last year in the sweet 16, Poetl had a strong 10 points and 8 rebounds losing in a strong effort 63-57 to Duke. In this game Poetl outplayed this year’s first round pick, Okafor, holding him to 6 points and 8 rebounds.

Brad Stevens system is very team oriented. This team has no clear-cut star. Depth is the foundation this team is built on and that is the direction they should stick to. Cousins’ mindset would be a bad fit in the Celtics locker room.

Cousins is one of those guys that seems to care more about getting his stats rather than his team winning games. The numbers will always be there but the winning mentality has never shown at the NBA level.

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Cousins has been in conflicts with teammates as well as coaches during his brief NBA career.

Wednesday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons further strengthened my intention to stay away from trading for Cousins. After the game, I came away extremely impressed with Jared Sullinger on defense and his ability to go toe to toe with one of the game’s best centers, Andre Drummond.

On paper, Drummond seems to have a big advantage over Sullinger. While Sullinger has the body to contend with Drummond, he does not have the size and reach to keep him off of the boards. Drummond is listed at 6’11 279 pounds. Sullinger is listed at a generous 6’9 and 260 pounds. Sullinger held Drummond to five points in the first half, while Sullinger himself finished with a very respectable 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Next: Realistic Superstar Trade Targets for Celtics

With Sullinger impressing and Poetl a realistic draft target, trading for Cousins simply does not make sense for this team.

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