Sacramento Kings Trading DeMarcus Cousins A Terrible Idea

There never seems to be a dull moment with the Sacramento Kings these days. While, over the past few weeks, many fans have been intently focused on the happenings leading up to the NBA Draft, their attention has been suddenly diverted to new rumors which state that George Karl has been attempting to throw the franchise into even more upheaval.

Reportedly, Karl has been trying to convince the Kings’ new VP Vlade Divac and owner Vivek Ranadive to find a new home for DeMarcus Cousins.

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What you seem to have is a Hall of Fame coach not wanting to deal with the type of attitude a 24-year-old potential superstar has. But, the real issue is the fact that Karl has all but lost Cousins’ trust, which is pretty much the exact opposite of what you want to happen. Cousins has always been rumored to have serious trust issues and has kept his circle small during his early career.

Cousins has literally created a hashtag, or slogan, which epitomizes that notion: #LoyaltyIsLove.

It was tweeted out yesterday, that Karl has been working to get players and others within the organization to band together to force Divac and Ranadive to give Boogie the boot.

Following the increased reports, Divac came out and, once again, vehemently denied that the Kings were even a tiny bit interested in letting go of their All-Star big man. Karl was then asked the question by the Sacramento Bee and didn’t exactly shut the door on the rumors, sadly enough.

Just the thought of Cousins being traded should give Kings fans serious trust issues.

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When Ranadive took over the team, he specifically said — and has reiterated — that this was “your team” in regard to the fans.

But since then, Ranadive hasn’t done much that Kings fans have been too proud of, outside of Cousins’ contract extension, anyway. Ranadive decided not to bring Geoff Petrie back, which upset many fans who felt Petrie had been held back for years by the Maloofs’ poor choices and thought he deserved a shot to redeem himself under a “non-dysfunctional” regime.

Boy, were they wrong.

Instead, Ranadive hired Pete D’Alessandro as GM prior to hiring a head coach: a no-no for many. Mike Malone was then chosen as the coach, but would soon see himself fired despite leading the Kings to one of their best starts in a decade, which was followed by a tough-luck situation when Cousins fell ill. After that, Tyrone Corbin was named head coach even while the Karl rumors were being floated.

Mar 16, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings former center Vlade Divac speaks with the press after being named Vice President of Basketball and Franchise operations at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Then, Corbin was axed in favor of Karl after the Kings’ season was all but over. Karl took the reins and almost instantly, there was tension in the locker room as Cousins still felt slighted with the decision to fire Malone as well as the reports he wanted an input on the next head coach.

D’Alessandro would depart for Denver at the end of the season. His former adviser, Chris Mullin, also left the Kings’ organization to take a job as the St. John’s head basketball coach.

To fans, Ranadive is nowhere near as disliked as the Maloofs were when their tenure as team owners ended, but with the decisions he’s made so far, it’s hard to envision him gaining much support unless the team starts winning and fast.

So, how can you do that without your best player — by far — and your coach on the same page? Ultimately, you can’t. Either Cousins and Karl need to mend their issues and have a sit-down, or someone has to go.

Cousins being traded by the Kings would be as disastrous as the Kings drafting John Wallace over Peja Stojakovic simply due to the fact Cousins hasn’t even come close to peaking. He is, to some, the best center in the league. Talent like his doesn’t come around every day and when it comes to the Kings’ draft luck, it is almost miraculous.

Cousins has never publicly asked for a trade — although if the rumors are true, he and his camp have now asked for one, which changes some aspects of this debate. He has played through injuries, and while he has had issues with the higher-ups, he has almost always been professional on the court.

It’s understandable that a wily old veteran like Karl wouldn’t want to add stress to his body with a young, passionate star while he’s trying to gain the top spot on the all-time wins chart. But if that’s the case, he shouldn’t have gone on Twitter asking to coach a team who was clearly set on Cousins leading them for the foreseeable future.

Trying not to exaggerate, trading Cousins could potentially result in being one of the dumbest moves the Kings have ever made. And if you know anything about the team’s history, mistakes aplenty have been made.

It’s time to stop making mistakes. Ranadive and Divac have to put their foot down and give Cousins a reason to believe he has people in his corner. Loyalty is love.

Next: Sacramento Kings: Cousins Situation is Case of Conflicting Statements