Why did the Kings trade DeMarcus Cousins late Sunday night? Might they have gotten a better off than the Pelicans’ piddly package by waiting until closer to Thursday’s trade deadline?
Kings general manager Vlade Divac felt pressure on multiple fronts.
First, as he said, he had a better offer two days prior and feared the return would only get worse. Cognizant of losing out on the designated-veteran-player extension, Cousins’ agent was threatening not to re-sign with teams that traded for Cousins, and that apparently spooked one at least one potential suitor.
And then there’s Sacramento owner Vivek Ranadive, who reportedly has been intent on keeping Cousins.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports on The Vertical Podcast with Chris Mannix:
Marc Stein of ESPN on The Lowe Post podcast:
Cousins contributed to a toxic environment in Sacramento. For all the good he brought, there were plenty of negatives. I understand trading him to improve the culture.
But if you have to rush through a trade before other teams (like the Lakers) have a chance to improve their offers just so your Buddy-Hield loving owner won’t harmfully meddle, maybe jettisoning Cousins won’t eliminate all the dysfunction.