The Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets are reportedly targeting the Kings' DeMarcus Cousins after rumors went out that Sacramento is now ready to trade their franchise player.

Recent rumors have emerged that the Kings are close to ending the DeMarcus Cousins trade saga, which has went on since last year when the club hired George Karl as its head coach in February of 2015. Karl and Cousins have publicly clashed in their only season together, leading to the coach's firing while the All-Star center remained with the team.

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However, Bleacher Report indicated that the Kings are now prepared to let go of Cousins before he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2018 as all indications point to the eventual separation of the two sides.

Cousins is said to be "extremely unlikely to return to Sacramento once he becomes a free agent" given his damaged relationships with "various members of the organization."

The rationality that the Kings could trade him soon is because his trade value is quite high at this time with still about two years left in his contract.

Cousins is set to receive $16.9 million at the end of the season and $18 million in the next, which could prove to be a hindrance in trying to find a suitable trade partner in the part of the Kings.

The Nuggets are reportedly looking to acquire a legitimate All-Star to complement with their young trio of Emmanuel Mudiay, Nikola Jokic, and Jusuf Nurkic, and Cousins is said to be Denver's primary target at the moment, according to Inquisitr.

However, Jokic could be part of the package to lure Cousins, which also includes two 2017 first-round draft selections and one of their three rookies, namely, Jamal Murray, Malik Beasley, or Juancho Hernangomez.

The Blazers are also rumored to be interested in Cousins as the team reportedly wants to form their own "Big Three" with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

Starting center Mason Plumlee or new acquisition Festus Ezeli is said to be the centerpiece of the trade package the Blazers will offer the Kings for Cousins. 

TagsNBA Trade Rumors, NBA Trade Rumors 2016, DeMarcus Cousins, sacramento kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets