The Rockets are interested in the Kings’ veteran big Kosta Koufos, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein. I am a huge fan of Koufos and the little things he does to help a team win games.
Many fans don’t appreciate his game because he doesn’t produce godly stats but if you break down film on his game, you will be able to see everything he does correctly and that’s why the Rockets are making him a prime target.
It also helps that his contract is great (four-years, $33 million) in comparison to say a guy like Timofey Mozgov who was signed for four years, $64 million during the offseason.
Rookies Georgios Papagiannis, Skal Labissiere and second-year Willie Cauley-Stein haven’t shown much consistency for the Kings to move Koufos yet. That’s why I would be hesitant if I were Vlade Divac.
Houston would have to get very creative with a package deal that would entice the Kings and I know one that would. I like to put on my GM hat when the rumor mill begins to heat up and this is a trade I would pull the trigger on:
As you can see, the Kings would get Eric Gordon, Corey Brewer and Montrezl Harrell in the trade. Why should the Kings do this?
They would be getting the shooting guard that they badly need in Gordon. He is averaging 17.4 points this season and he’s doing it on 42.3 percent from beyond the arc. That’s the consistency the Kings really need from their shooting guard position and it would give DeMarcus Cousins a legit option to pass out to.
Brewer is a versatile wing player who can guard multiple positions, shoot the 3-pointer (although he has struggled this year) and give the Kings more depth.
Harrell is a young power forward who would bring toughness, defense and scrappy points inside the paint. Harrell has seen an increase in his minutes since Clint Capela’s injury, putting up 12.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in the Rockets’ past five games. That’s very impressive.
Now why would the Rockets give up Gordon in this trade? He’s having a great year and he fits their system, but they are also in need of a solid center and Koufos fills that spot. They are also gaining a veteran who plays solid defense and before this season, Arron Afflalo was shooting a decent percentage from beyond the arc. He can definitely fill in for Gordon off of the bench and guard the opposing star wing player when needed.
They are also getting Ben McLemore, who is a young athlete that shows signs of being a solid role player if used correctly and a system like Houston’s would really benefit his game. The Rockets would also be receiving a future second round pick in this trade.
Do you agree with my hypothetical trade? If not, let us know if you can think of something that’s realistic and share it with us.
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