In an interview with The Undefeated’s Marc Spears, Washington Wizards guard John Wall said he was surprised to find out about the trade that sent DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans after the All-Star Game, adding that he had talked with Cousins about potentially joining the Wizards if things didn’t work out with the Sacramento Kings:

Did you ever talk to your former Kentucky teammate and fellow NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins about playing for the Wizards before the Sacramento Kings dealt him to the New Orleans Pelicans?

I talked to him. He said he would come to D.C., but he didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know he was going to be traded like that. We thought it was going to be later on or he was just going to stay [in Sacramento]. It shocked me just like it shocked him.

Were you disappointed the Wizards weren’t able to get Cousins?

It was so crazy because he walked past me when I was talking to the media [after the NBA All-Star Game] and he said something about the trade. I was like, ‘Huh.’ It didn’t register what he said. So I called him right when I got to my phone. He said, ‘Yeah, I’m at the airport. I don’t know where to go. Do I go back to ‘Sac’ or do I stay here?’

He was just hurt. I feel that with all the tough times he had been through [in Sacramento], he never gave up on the city. There was so much he did for the community. So much that he gave back. He always showed that he wanted to be there whether they were losing bad or not. In six years, he never said he wanted to leave.

For a guy to give that type of a commitment, you would think he would stay there. I guess they didn’t like the way it was going. I hope he’s in a better place now. He’s happy. Hopefully, they can make the playoffs and get a push. If not, he’s got a free summer this summer to figure out where he’s going to be.

A few thoughts on this one:

  • Let’s be clear on what Wall is saying here because the “he said he would come to D.C.” part of the quote sounds awfully strong. I’m not interpreting this as “Cousins told Wall he would definitely join him in Washington,” as Wall’s answer to the very next question indicates that he was under the same impression as everybody else: Cousins wanted to sign a huge contract extension with the Kings this coming summer, and, until the deal went down, the assumption was that Sacramento would offer him that extension. It seems like Wall meant to say that Cousins had indicated that, if things were to go wrong with the Kings, he would be open to coming to D.C.
  • For those of you who are already imagining the Wizards with a Big 3 of Wall, Cousins and Bradley Beal, please note that Cousins said he was “all-in” in his introductory press conference with the Pelicans. Clearly, New Orleans hasn’t been able to integrate him smoothly, but his partnership with Anthony Davis still has a world of potential, and there have been no indications yet that he is thinking about his next destination.
  • That said, it’s not completely out of the question. Next season is a contract year for Cousins, and if the Pelicans don’t figure things out early on, they could risk losing him for nothing. No one knows what’s going to happen there; even if he sticks around, there’s no guarantee he stays in New Orleans for the life of his next contract. 
  • Every time a story like this makes the rounds, I think about John Calipari saying a team of ex-Kentucky players could beat the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers and win a championship. Calipari acknowledged that it will never happen because of the salary cap, but it would be awesome to see. I think the players should organize a charity game over the summer against whoever wins the title.