Chriss was then dealt to the Suns in exchange for the 12th and 28th overall picks and the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic. Boston has eight picks in the two-round draft, starting with one it acquired from Brooklyn in 2013 in the deal that sent Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets.
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The first big in-draft trade has gone down. Bogdanovic recently chose to stay in Europe for the 2016-17 season, so the Kings will have to wait at least one year to see him in Sacramento. The Suns drafted a high upside forward in Marquese Chriss at No. 8.
Cousins had been pegged as a likely second-round pick by multiple outlets after attending the combine in Chicago last month and logging pre-draft workouts with 16 National Basketball Association teams in the weeks since. There was speculation that Karl wanted Cousins out of Sacramento.
Sacramento didn’t need another center – they have Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein and Kosta Koufous. He averaged 13.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in his lone season at Washington and displayed the ability to shoot from behind the arc, shooting 35 percent from three-point range. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.
The Hornets selected Syracuse wing player Malachi Richardson on Sacramento’s behalf. Wherever you want them. But he was sacked after this past season and was hired to replace the fired George Karl in Sacramento.
The good news for Cousins is that Sacramento’s first-round pick might be a sign that Cousins is on his way out.
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That may work out well for the future, but won’t do much to help Cousins or the Kings next season.
