It’s been nearly a week since the Sacramento Kings made a surprise deal to send former star DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans. And while Cousins has claimed he’s “not mad” about what happened last Sunday when the trade was made final during the NBA All-Star Game, it’s clear there’s still some bad blood between the 26-year-old and his former bosses.
In his lengthiest interview since he was traded (along with swingman Omri Casspi) in exchange for rookie guard Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans’s expiring contract and a first- and second-round pick in this year’s NBA draft, Cousins unloaded on Kings General Manager Vlade Divac and owner Vivek Ranadivé for the way they handled, or maybe mishandled, what so far is the most surprising trade of the year.
Opening up to the Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears, Cousins revealed team executives had the chance to tell him they were contemplating a trade multiple times in the days leading up to that fateful game, but didn’t.
“The sick part about it is that Vlade came in my house with my agent [Jarinn Akana]. We sat in my theater and just talked. That was maybe three weeks ago,” Cousins said. “We sat there and [he] told me what moves he wanted to make. All of that. I just didn’t understand.”
He continued: “I got a text from the owner right before I went to all-star. He was asking me about a player, how I felt about him and making a move. The owner!”
Cousins said it wasn’t until just “before the game” on Sunday that he heard the rumors that he was about to be dealt from Sacramento.
“The more those guys talk, the more things come out. It’s just crazy,” Cousins said, noting had the team approached him “like a man,” the trade would’ve been less painful.
“This ain’t something that happened in a few days,” he said. “It has been discussed with more than one team. I just don’t understand.”
Cousins played his first game with the Pelicans on Thursday. Despite losing, 129-99, to the Houston Rockets, Cousins played well. The three-time all-star scored 27 points, while adding 14 rebounds and five assists.
”Nobody expected us to win the championship on our first game,” Cousins said (via the Associated Press). “We see the potential. We see what we need to work on. … We’ve got to go in and work our tails off. I think we’ll be fine.”
