Your Morning Dump… Where we connect the dots to trade No. 3 for DeMarcus Cousins

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Can I interest you in a trade for DeMarcus Cousins? There might be a way.

As Chuck posted yesterday, Chris Mannix of The Vertical said in an interview that the Celtics will find a way to make a big trade for the likes of Cousins, Jimmy Butler or Paul George. That’s encouraging for Celtics fans – and even more so in light of two interesting reports about possible personnel moves by the Sacramento Kings.

The first report was from ESPN’s Zach Lowe in his lottery night recap:

“The latest scuttlebutt is that the Kings are prepared to cut bait with Rajon Rondo if the bidding for him gets beyond a certain threshold that is lower than we might imagine, given the Kings’ recent transaction history.”

Perhaps the Kings are interested in replacing Rondo with Kris Dunn. Coincidentally, according to Adrian Wojnarowski – Woj, the NBA reporter legendary for his scoops – Dunn prefers to be drafted by a team that needs a point guard, and not guard-rich franchises such as Boston at No. 3 or Phoenix at No. 4. Here’s the video of Woj’s remarks in a conversation with Mannix:

The second interesting report was from Chad Ford of ESPN, who said:

“Kings GM Vlade Divac is absolutely in love with Buddy Hield.”

If all this is true, the Kings need help, because Dunn and Hield are both expected to be gone before Sacramento picks at No. 8. Vlade would have to trade up to ensure that he gets one of his preferred players.

All these elements together could create the path for Danny Ainge to trade for Cousins. If Divac is considering restructuring his roster, perhaps Danny could entice the Kings to part with their all-star center for the No. 3 pick and some other assets in the Celtics’ treasure chest. That assumes the Celtics actually want to go after the volatile Cousins.

Granted, a lot of pieces have to fall into place for such a trade to happen. Regardless, the No. 3 pick is suddenly looking a little better than it did on lottery night.

On Page 2: Summer league already?

The NBA announced yesterday that the Celtics will participate in two summer leagues this July. The first will include four teams hosted in Salt Lake City by the Utah Jazz. The Cs schedule will be:

Monday, July 4: vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Tuesday, July 5: vs. Utah Jazz
Thursday, July 7: vs. San Antonio Spurs

The second will see 24 teams convene in Las Vegas from July 8 to 18. The schedule will be announced at a later date.

For more info:

And, finally: James Young helps his hometown

Yesterday, @celtics @realjamesyoung was hard at work in his hometown of Flint, handing out water to those in need. pic.twitter.com/dbncTzJ7vT

— NBA Cares (@nbacares) May 18, 2016