The DeMarcus Cousins trade rumors finally might be coming to an end. No, Cousins hasn't been traded. In fact, it's just the opposite.
According to CSN Bay Area's James Ham, Cousins "intends" to sign the $200 million-plus extension that the Kings are planning on offering him this summer:
CSN California has confirmed through a league source that the two sides have tossed around numbers and that barring a late change in direction by either side, Cousins intends to sign a massive, max-money extension, estimated at roughly $207 million during the offseason that will keep the big man in a Kings uniform long-term.
On the surface, it seems rather foolish for Cousins to re-sign with the Kings. Sacramento hasn't been able to build a winning team around Cousins in the seven seasons he has been there, and the Kings also have had a revolving door of coaches and players. Couple all of this with Cousins' temper causing more problems throughout his tenure in Sacramento, and it would seem like a fresh start for both the All-Star big man and the Kings would be for the best.
However, $207 million is a lot of money. It will be the biggest contract of Cousins' career and should make him and his family financially stable for a long time. Also, Cousins has said on more than one occasion how much he enjoys playing in Sacramento and wants his jersey to be retired by the Kings when his career is over. Being the franchise player for well over a decade will certainly help with that.
Sacramento's incremental success this season, plus the stability Kings coach Dave Joerger seems to have instilled, could also be why Cousins plans to re-sign.
However, for this megadeal to happen, Cousins can't sign the extension with the Kings until this summer, when free agency starts and the new collective-bargaining agreement takes effect. So from now until July, anything could happen. Things could turn sour yet again in Sacramento and Cousins could either be traded by the February trade deadline or he could decide he wants to play elsewhere. For now, though, it seems like Cousins and Kings will be joined at the hip for the foreseeable future.
