Anthony Davis isn’t the only former Kentucky big man assuring everybody that he’s going to stay with his current team. Sacramento Kings All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins said in no uncertain terms Thursday that he plans to sign a contract extension this summer, via ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne:
DeMarcus Cousins says he intends to sign an extension with the Kings this summer, because he wants his “legacy to end in Sacramento” and his “jersey to be in the rafters in Sacramento.”
In an interview with SportsCenter on Thursday, the All-Star center said he considered Sacramento to be his home after seven years in the NBA.
“I’m very happy,” Cousins said. “It’s where I want to be.”
Cousins can sign a five-year extension worth up to $219 million this summer.
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Cousins acknowledged the trust issues that have hurt his relationship with Kings management in the past but said he has found a way of dealing with it.
“I’m a guy that’s all about loyalty and honesty,” he said. “It’s hard, but at the end of the day you gotta remember that this is a business. Your expectations can’t be too high when it comes to trust and loyalty. I realize that. I know it’s a business. At the end of the day I’m not always shocked. It still catches me off guard sometimes, but I’m not shocked.”
This isn’t the first time Cousins has said stuff like this, but it might be his strongest statement on the subject. It’s also worth noting that, last week, Kings general manager Vlade Divac said, “We’re not trading DeMarcus.” It sounds like everybody’s on the same page here.
Drama and dysfunction have marked Cousins’ tenure in Sacramento, but reports have always indicated that owner Vivek Ranadive is committed to building around him. Given what Cousins is saying publicly, there is no real reason to doubt that he’ll be there long-term ... unless you simply believe that the Kings will find a way to mess it up in the next few months.
