5:44pm: Cousins, Divac and Ranadive all took to Twitter in an apparent effort to debunk the latest rumors, with Cousins posting “Blah blah blah…” and Divac chiming in with “I agree…#family.” Ranadive followed with the hashtag #WeAreFamily (hat tip to Marc Stein of ESPN.com).
2:04pm: The vast majority of the people in the Kings organization would prefer to see the team trade DeMarcus Cousins, as Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck says he’s been told (video link). Owner Vivek Ranadive has said publicly since the spring that he has no desire to trade the All-Star center, and while Beck believes that the owner is steadfast against a move, it appears others in the team’s power structure feel differently. Beck adds that coach George Karl would still like to see the team move on from Cousins, even though Karl has said otherwise.
It’s the latest twist in an ongoing saga involving the Kings and Cousins that comes on the heels of weeks of apparent peacemaking. Cousins said last week that he and Karl were on the same page after a meeting that they’d had along with vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac and assistant GM Mike Bratz. That meeting came after a brief encounter between Cousins and the coach at summer league that was reportedly their first interaction for a period of months. Cousins notoriously tweeted snake and grass emojis shortly after a report surfaced indicating that Karl had actively attempted to have him traded. A person familiar with Karl’s thinking told Beck all the way back in February that the Kings weren’t ruling out trading Cousins at the deadline this past February, and Karl advanced that notion in April when he said that he’d never coached a player who was off-limits for a trade.
Karl’s apparent efforts to trade Cousins reportedly upset Ranadive to the point that he considered firing the coach, and a conflicting narrative exists about whether the Kings reached out to John Calipari as a potential replacement. Indeed, the line of Cousins rumors has been rife with denials and nuance, dating back to concerns over Cousins’ reaction to the pair of coaching changes that Sacramento made this past season. His contract still has three full seasons left, valued at an average of nearly $16.958MM a year, so it doesn’t present an urgency to make a deal.
The Lakers emerged as a strong suitor for Cousins around draft time. The Dan Fegan client reportedly wanted to play with them, and Ranadive apparently gave Fegan permission to see if he could find a workable trade that would take Cousins out of Sacramento. However, no deal materialized as Divac, who has echoed Ranadive in saying publicly many times that he wants to keep Cousins, sought a reconciliation between Cousins and Karl. It had seemed, before today’s news, that the coach and his star player had patched up their relationship, but apparently that effort still has a ways to go.
What do you think of the latest development in the DeMarcus Cousins saga? Leave a comment to tell us.
Who are these people that want him traded aside from Karl and Cousins agent? To say that most in the organization want him traded is garbage. I’m not saying he won’t be traded, but the reports are that they are getting along better now. I think this has something to do with other GM’s wanting to keep or put tension in the organization by falsley making up stories that are not true. Not that this is anything new.
Rehashing an old story. Kings have moved past this, the writers should also.
There is no “latest development ” in this story. It’s the typical article that may indeed be right, but has no basis in actual fact. Just a guy writing an article on something he likely has no real knowledge on.
Lakers should try to rekindle talks for Cousins. D’Angelo Russell won’t be a star, his stock may be the highest it will ever be, Once Hibbert is eligible to be traded, they should make the offer of Hibbert and Russell for Cousins.
Throw in anyone but Kobe or Randle that Sacramento wants and don’t take back long-term money. That should be the Lakers’ plan.
bwahahhahahah. – Kings fan.
Go for him Danny! Besides the Lakers, C’s have the best collection of assets to get a deal done… and even then, I doubt the Lakers would be willing to move both Russell and Randle.
I’d like to think a package of Bradley, Turner, Sullinger, Olynyk, and picks (including Brooklyn’s upcoming firsts) would get a deal done
basically trade away their starting lineup
I agree with CrazyB. Why can’t the press and these so called sports writers (who are writing these stories strictly for publicity) move on to areas that are actually happening and they have real facts to back them up. Don’t you think Ranadive would have fired anyone in Management that wasn’t 100 percent behind his thinking.
Shut up with this crap. Quit storing the pot. He’s not going anywhere and it would be the worst move in franchise history. This team will be better then all the haters say they will. Picking this squad to not even brake 30 wins. It all hinges on Rondo. He plays in good form his numbers are better then average and we win 40+! Cousins, Stein, Gay, Rondo, and B Mac are your starters. The bench will be much deeper then we’ve been in years past. All you writers and want to be writers need to shut up with all your bull crap. The turnover is over and the team is set. Buckle your seat belts and just watch the Kings Shock the League!
The worst move in franchise history was Peja air ball at the end of the fourth quarter, and those dang cow bells!
too soon.
Heat need to trade for him
Stan and CrazyB and Glenn are all correct. I’m so stinking tired of this. WHY ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT IT??? ITS NOT TRUE!!! Best line in the comments was if someone was trying to trade Cousins, they would be fired instantly. Cousins is here to stay. Please, let’s all move on from this. There’s real stories to talk about out there.
Nancy Liebermsn should help this situation I believe
He will be Laker by the trade deadline. They can have Russell and Hibbert and a draft pick
Just a coup- d’etat by the neighbor Lakers in order to get Boogie. Not gonna happen.
Hibbert and Young Sacre and four picks