DeMarcus Cousins has been a popular topic of trade speculation for multiple seasons, which comes as no surprise. Cousins is one of the NBA’s more talented big men, but his Kings haven’t won more than 33 games in a season during the six years he has been in Sacramento, and he hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with the team’s head coaches.
With another new coach – Dave Joerger – taking over for 2016/17, the Kings and Cousins have agreed to take a “fresh-start approach” to their relationship, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who noted this week that Cousins liked the hiring of Joerger. As Kyler details, Sacramento has been turning away any inquiries from rival teams on Cousins, and expects to play out the ’16/17 season with Cousins as the cornerstone of the roster.
Still, Cousins is only under contract with the Kings for two more years, and if the team doesn’t become a playoff contender soon, that summer of 2018 could begin looming larger and larger. As Zach Harper of CBSSports.com writes, many people around the NBA believe Cousins will leave Sacramento when his contract expires, and think the Kings need to seriously consider moving him at some point before then.
“They’re fooling themselves if they think he’s sticking around,” one league executive said to Harper. “The good news for them is his value will always be high. There isn’t a point of no return in which you’re not getting high value for him. Teams will bid against each other in the trade market. Maybe [Cousins] doesn’t go for the biggest money in free agency, but you’d love to have that card to play.”
As dysfunctional a franchise as Sacramento has been for the last several years, Joerger is a well-respected coach, and the team made some solid moves this offseason, inking veteran free agents Arron Afflalo, Matt Barnes, Garrett Temple, and Anthony Tolliver to multiyear deals, and adding three first-round prospects in Georgios Papagiannis, Malachi Richardson, and Skal Labissiere. If the Kings start playing well, Cousins trade rumors figure to remain on the back burner for the foreseeable future. But if the team struggles out of the gate, the rumor mill figures to be more active than ever.
What do you think Cousins’ future holds? Will the Kings ultimately decide to trade him? Will he leave in two years as a free agent? Or will Cousins remain in Sacramento long-term after a rocky first few years with the franchise? Vote in our poll, and weigh in below in our comment section with your thoughts on the All-Star big man.
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Kings will make the biggest mistake if they don’t trade him by the time his free agency hits. He’s a 99.9% lock to leave.
boogie is a beast, a contending
team will take him in a heart beat and will improve the team jurasticly
would love to see a deal with the raptors
Is that so they can improve jurassically?
The Kings won’t have as good a player as boogie for a decade if they trade him. No way they get fair value for him. Teams like the kings need a superstar so they can have a chance at contention.
I really don’t get pinning a franchise’s hopes on such a volatile, immature and selfish player. The Kings games I caught last season were almost unwatchable because he was launching threes after one pass in the offense, jogging back on D and howling with incredulity at every call/non call. Sure, you can watch the Clippers doing the same, but the incident with the security guard and Chinese New Year were worrying, and really very clear signs that this kid has a chip on his shoulder that manifests itself in ignorance, entitlement and aloofness. He has all the talent in the world and is a multimillionaire, but his future is his to be made.
It seems Vivek and Vlade are tiptoeing around him. Those two are the Laurel and Hardy of the basketball world.
Either take every draft pick Boston has for Cousins,
Or,
Trade Willie Cauley Stein for Marcus Smart!
Smart plays bully ball the way Cousins likes it. Malachi Richardson has a future. Skal went from overrated to underrated, and could fit nicely next to Cousins as a shot blocking three point shooter, given a year and some muscles. They can get a Jayson Tatum in the draft.
If I’m the Kings GM, I try moving him for two young studs. Ingram and Jackson would be a nice deal if there Lakers are willing. Move Rudy Gay for Turner on Indiana or Noel on the Sixers (if those teams are willing) and you’ve got a foundation to build on rather quickly.
Is Boogie for…Bradley, Brown, Olynyk and Brooklyn’s 2018 pick a fair deal?
Replace olynck with a slightly better player or another pick
Boogie for brown Bradley Brooklyn picks mavs pick and 2nd pick
Brooklyn needs to work something out with the kings he would be a perfect pickup