Should Pistons trade Andre Drummond and No. 8 for DeMarcus Cousins?

As DeMarcus Cousins rumors swirl, I contemplated what the Pistons would/should trade for the Kings center.

I came up with a hypothetical offer – Andre Drummond and the No. 8 pick – that I was torn on. So, I asked Patrick and Brady their opinions on it.

Both responded immediately – with opposite answers.

They’ve both elaborated on the question:

Would you trade Andre Drummond and the No. 8 pick for DeMarcus Cousins?

Patrick Hayes: Yes

"Brady will likely tell you about Drummond’s significant upside. He’s young and still getting better, he’ll say. With some improved awareness at the defensive end, he’ll be a game changer, he’ll say. With one or two reliable post moves to match his pick-and-roll and at-the-rim finishing capabilities, who will be able to guard him?, he’ll ask. And everyone look out if he ever figures out how to stop being embarrassed by the ladies, he’ll warn. Don’t you dare laugh at those Wikipedia edits!But here’s what this boils down to, folks (and Brady): DeMarcus Cousins is a star. Andre Drummond isn’t. Let’s not overthink this.Drummond is a legitimate starter, a promising prospect, and there’s ample reason to believe he’ll reach at least some of those heights we all hope he will. If he’s the best you got in terms of talent to build around, well, you’re in pretty good shape.But Cousins is just better. He’s also young and still improving, he has developed many of the skills listed above that we’re all dreaming about Drummond figuring out and he’s flourished while working for a franchise that makes Dolan’s Knicks look well-run by comparison. Seriously … Vivek Ranadive wanted to run a cherry-picking based system! Because it worked in a girls’ youth league! It’s a miracle Boogie is still in the league under those circumstances and not institutionalized somewhere.It’s insane that we’re even in a position to discuss Cousins being available in a trade. He’s arguably a top 10ish player in the league. You know what happens when crazy scenarios emerge that make top 10 level players available in trades? You give up what it takes to get them. So yeah, we like Drummond. No one is going to celebrate about having to trade him. But you do what it takes to make talent upgrades to your roster, and Cousins would be an upgrade over some combination of Drummond/whoever is available at No. 8. Just offer it, and if the Kings like it, do it and never look back."

Brady Fredericksen: No

"Let me start with this: I’m a big fan of DeMarcus Cousins.I loved that Joe Dumars chased after him like a dog chasing cars after he was unable to grab him in the NBA Draft. I thought the idea of Cousins and Greg Monroe was fantastic, and I think Cousins is the most versatile center in the NBA (because I don’t consider Anthony Davis a center, obviously).But… I’m not down with this. I’m not keen on selling the farm for Boogie — specifically the Pistons’ rather barren farm.The Pistons have cap room and financial flexibility right now. Trading for Cousins for Drummond sucks up all of that room and puts you worse off going forward. Detroit’s hole at small forward is incredibility large, and not having the chance to draft a cheap player at No. 8 would be a tough pill to swallow.And, if you acquire Cousins, you’re not going to have enough cash to sign a legitimate small forward. And that leaves you in a situation where next season is a rebuilding year, and creates a scenario where the team will not compete for the playoffs until 2016-17, at the earliest.I’m not even convinced Cousins is a GREAT player.He might just be a good player putting up huge numbers for an irrelevant team in Sacramento. He could probably do that for an irrelevant team in Detroit too, but what’s the point? If Stan Van Gundy wants to win as soon as possible, he won’t trade two of his best young assets for Cousins.The franchise has direction, and there’s an improving culture. The Pistons shouldn’t break that up for Cousins."