Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins has long been the source of consistent trade rumors around the NBA landscape. The mercurial All-NBA big man has clashed with coach after coach in Sacramento, and the Kings have failed to build a winner around their franchise player. Given the dysfunction of both star and franchise, a fresh start for both sides has been considered an inevitability.
That thought was only reinforced with Sacramento's recent hiring of Dave Joerger as the new head coach. During Joerger's introductory press conference, Kings VP of basketball operations Vlade Divac was once again asked about Cousins' future with the team.
"He's not going to be traded if you're asking me this year - for sure," Divac said.
Cousins has caused headaches for nearly every head coach who has signed on in Sacramento. However, Divac believes that Joerger can reign in his star player's more disruptive behavior and that the two can build a rapport with one another. Joerger will be Cousins' sixth NBA head coach.
"I heard you guys, a lot of questions was regarding DeMarcus," Divac said. "No doubt he's going to be on the same page. He's our leader and our franchise player. Like I said, players, coach, front office - everybody's has to be on the same page."
Cousins is signed through the 2017-18 season and is scheduled to earn just north of $35 million over the next two years. Despite his uneven temperament and past behavioral issues, there are a handful of teams that would be interested in him if Divac does make him available.
Cousins appeared in 65 games this past season and averaged 27 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. At just 25 years old, Cousins remarkably still has room to improve. If a team believes that it has the right infrastructure in place and can manage Cousins' big personality, then they could land a franchise cornerstone. The Los Angeles Lakers have long been pushing behind the scenes for a Cousins trade. Should the Kings finally give in, the Lakers would be one of many suitors.
For his career, Cousins has averaged 20.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
