It sounds like DeMarcus Cousins isn't going anywhere. After introducing Dave Joerger as the Sacramento Kings' new head coach, vice president and general manager Vlade Divac told reporters that he is not looking to move his franchise center.
Kings GM Vlade Divac was asked about trading DeMarcus Cousins today after the presser. 'He's not going to be traded - this year for sure'
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) May 10, 2016
Former Kings coach George Karl recently said that the Kings could rebuild faster by trading Cousins. Some believe that, after everything Cousins has been through in his six years in Sacramento, it would be best for both sides to go their separate ways. With two seasons left on his contract, the Kings could surely get quality young players and picks in a trade.
If Sacramento traded Cousins, though, the front office would be hoping that one of the players it got in return could develop into a star. Cousins already is a star. Generally, you don't trade franchise players unless it's clear that they would rather be somewhere else.
Through Cousins' tenure with the Kings, there has been only one time where he and the organization appeared to be in a good place. At the beginning of the 2014-15 season, Cousins played the best defense of his career and raved about coach Mike Malone. Sacramento was overachieving, then Cousins got viral meningitis, the team lost a few games and Malone was fired. Cousins said recently that the Kings would be a playoff team if they had kept Malone.
With Joerger aboard, the hope is that Cousins can have a healthy relationship with a coach again and Sacramento can finally start to steer itself in the right direction. There's no guarantee that will happen, but a good way to start is to quiet the trade rumors. Divac had little choice but to make a strong statement.
