It's rumor season! Protip: read rumors carefully. Like this one from ESPN's Chad Ford.

This rumor does not say that the Kings will be looking to trade DeMarcus Cousins. It says that if the Kings do decide to trade DeMarcus Cousins — if — there will be interest from several teams. Which, yes, of course there will be.

This isn't to say that this rumor is not helpful, because it is. Ford is getting the interest of three specific teams out in the open. One is Cleveland, which has the No. 1 pick and a bevy of good young players. Another is Charlotte, which has the No. 4 pick and a bevy of … well, young players. The third is Dallas, which has the No. 13 pick and … players.

I think the No. 4 pick in this draft plus any Bobcat not named Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for Cousins is a meh offer. I think the No. 1 pick and basically any Cavalier for Cousins is far more intriguing. I could also be convinced that Tristan Thompson, the No. 19 and a forgiveness of the Kings' owed pick is also a good package. (It would take some convincing. I'm a Cousins believer. You know this.) I don't see any Dallas package worth considering.

There will be plenty of Cousins rumors until Vivek Ranadivé or his general manager emphatically say the Kings are not trading Cousins. Even if they did say that, there would still be rumors. We have no idea what the new owner thinks about Boogie at this point, so the rumors are on the back burner. It's good to know he's still loved out there. That's the thing with talent: it always has its value.