Wizards Fans Hope Marcin Gortat Trade Could Mean Team Is After DeMarcus Cousins

Tonight's NBA trade between the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards was notable for the players involved: point guard Austin Rivers and center Marcin Gortat. However, what it could portend for other star players is way more interesting.

Rivers was shipped off of his father's team to Washington, where he will back up all-star John Wall... assuming he is still on the roster when the start of the season rolls around. Wall and Gortat have a rocky relationship, and the center is set to make $13.5 million this year before becoming a free agent, so the move makes sense on that side as well.

For the Clippers, this could mean the end of the line for DeAndre Jordan. Gortat probably isn't supplanting him, but this could mean a rebuild, with Jordan moving on, could be coming.

After the trade, New York Times NBA insider Marc Stein floated the possibility of a Jordan sign-and-trade to Dallas, who could definitely be looking to add a big time center.

DeAndre Jordan may not be the only top center impacted. Wizards fans are excitedly speculating about what it means for DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins starred alongside Wall in their one season at Kentucky. The two have long been rumored as eventual NBA teammates as well. The Pelicans will probably make a run at Cousins. However, given the brutal injury that ended his 2017-18 season, and the way the team played with him out, there is no guarantee there. The Wizards will have to make some moves to open up room for Cousins. The team would potentially need to sign-and-trade with New Orleans to make it work. However it would have to happen, fans on Twitter seem all in here.

That would certainly be a splash for the Wizards, and make them a very interesting team in an ever-shifting Eastern Conference, one that could look very different with the potential of no LeBron James.

If Cousins isn't an option, Dwight Howard could be an interesting Plan B. Howard, recently traded to the Brooklyn Nets from the Charlotte Hornets, is reportedly negotiating a buyout.

Even after his prime, during which he was an All-Star every season and an occasional MVP candidate, Howard has been one of the better true big men in the NBA. With a buyout, he'd be very affordable. However, he is also thought of as a poor locker room guy, and that may not be the best fit for a team that has had questionable chemistry in recent seasons.