DeMarcus Cousins trade rumors won’t go away

DeMarcus Cousins trade rumors continue to pop up with many in the NBA expecting the Sacramento Kings to part with the big man before his contract expires

With Cousins having one year left on his deal and the Kings spinning their wheels, everybody but Cousins seems to want him to get dealt to a contender.

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Kings still won’t budge:

Sources with knowledge of Sacramento’s thinking say the Kings believe it’s still on the too-soon side to seriously entertain the idea of parting with Cousins, even with the clock ticking toward the final season of Cousins’ four-year max extension from 2013 and his unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2018.

Interested teams out there, of course, continue to contend that Sacramento will be staring at the unavoidable prospect of yet another sub-40-win season come February.

It’s hard to say what the Kings await other than proper compensation. The team is 8-13 and it’s clear the team isn’t gunning for a title this year. Looking at the roster as a whole, next year doesn’t figure to offer much of a run at a title either.

But proper compensation doesn’t seem likely. Looking at the above quote, most seem to understand Cousins will leave the Kings at one point or another. Cousins is great at 28.8/10.7/1.4, but overpaying and handicapping the future when Cousins might hit free agency anyway doesn’t make a ton of sense.

For now, trade rumors keep popping up but remain in a holding pattern.