The Sacramento Kings opened the season with a new arena, a new coach and hopes that the team led by talented, albeit volatile, big man DeMarcus Cousins can finally change the fortunes of the struggling franchise. Through 11 games (4-7) so far in this new season, they haven’t. And Kings minority owner Shaquille O’Neal recently said that Sacramento might finally look to move DeMarcus Cousins.
“In previous years, he’s made a lot of mistakes – he’s been hot-headed, he hasn’t shown great leadership qualities yet,” O’Neal said during Inside the NBA’s halftime show on the Kings recent game against the Los Angeles Lakers. “And that’s why I’m hearing talk of if things don’t start being correct, they may be looking in another direction.”
As fans would be quick to point out, this isn’t the first time DeMarcus Cousins’ name has been mentioned in trade rumors – it has virtually been an annual tradition around the league. But as pointed out by an NBC Sports report, a lot of league executives believe that the Kings should consider trading the two-time All-Star while he still has a year-and-a-half on his current deal. DeMarcus Cousins is signed through the 2017-2018 season.
The Kings, though, is said to have a high asking price for the center that’s averaging 26.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game this season.
“They’ll never get what they want in return,” an Eastern Conference general manager reportedly told Amico Hoops. “They think DeMarcus Cousins is worth more than he actually is. He hurts you every bit as much as he helps you. He’s like cheeseburger or booze—too much and you’ll pay a price.”
Cousins was drafted by Sacramento in 2010. In his previous six seasons, the Kings have not won more than 33 games, with Cousins frequently found in the middle of highly publicized squabbles with the team’s carousel of head coaches.
