DeMarcus Cousins To Chicago Bulls Rumors Heating Up Amid Dominant Olympic Play

The Chicago Bulls' pursuit of a deal for DeMarcus Cousins has definitely heated up, with the Chicago Bulls making an aggressive bid to land Team USA's big man in a trade before the season begins.

DeMarcus Cousins wants out of Sacramento. Might the Chicago Bulls engineer a way to land one of the top big men in the NBA?

The Sacramento Kings front office is still hoping that the minor off-season tweaks along with the signing of new head coach David Joerger (and the firing of former head coach George Karl) will be enough to give DeMarcus Cousins renewed interest in trying to make it work in Sacramento.

After another disappointing season of missing the playoffs, Cousins was very short with reporters trying to get a story during Team USA's scrimmages going into the Rio 2016 Olympics, giving the impression that DeMarcus Cousins, after his 5th season in the NBA, was finally sick of the losing.

However, even with all of the off-season changes, the Sacramento Kings are more likely than not to be back in the lottery; ESPN's early NBA predictions have the Kings finishing with a 30-52 record, and ranking 13th (or 3rd worst) in the Western Conference.

And while the Kings didn't do much better than that last season, they managed to finish 10th with a record of 33-49, and actually got within sniffing distance of a playoff berth.

They lost a lot of games, but during the season, Cousins found a kindred spirit in fellow "hard-head" Rajon Rondo. The two had a good relationship in Rondo's only season with the Kings, and on the court, it was a very productive relationship, with Rondo leading the NBA in assists with 11.9 per game and Cousins averaging a career-high 26.9 points per game (4th leading scorer in NBA).

With such great on the court chemistry, to pair DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo together on the court again has not only been fueling NBA trade rumors, but it is heating up trade talks between the Chicago Bulls and the Sacramento Kings.

There is also the small matter of the Sacramento Kings' first round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft that will convey to the Chicago Bulls unless it is a Top 10 pick.

While ESPN's early preseason rankings have the Sacramento Kings finishing in the bottom third in the Western Conference and picking between #5-#10, if they happen to win a few more than expected, the Kings will have to relinquish the pick to Chicago.

So if the Kings aren't able to get DeMarcus Cousins to buy into their long-term plans, they may have to reluctantly put the big man on the market.

The Kings would likely ask for a ransom for Cousins, and with other teams in the hunt with young assets, like Boston and the Lakers, the Chicago Bulls would have a very slim chance at landing him.

However, with Rondo and Wade in the fold recruiting Cousins, they could sell him on an offensively-focused team that will challenge for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. And if sold, Cousins would be able to force his way to the Chicago Bulls, particularly next season, when he will be in the final year of his current contract.

What do you think of DeMarcus Cousins potentially joining the Chicago Bulls? Would the Chicago Bulls be better than the Cleveland Cavaliers if DeMarcus Cousins joined Rondo, Wade, and Butler? Let us know what you think in the comments!