Cousins not sweating trade rumors: 'I'd be worried if nobody wanted me'

If DeMarcus Cousins wants out of Sacramento, he isn't letting on. While trade rumors have been kicking up dust around him this season, Cousins has mostly put his head down and played great basketball.

Not that it's been smooth sailing. Cousins leads the NBA with six technical fouls, and is well on his way to finishing in the top three in that category for a sixth consecutive season; he's currently being sued along with teammate Matt Barnes for his alleged involvement in a New York City nightclub altercation; and the Kings are 8-13, headed for their 11th straight losing season.

For all that, Cousins says he doesn't expect to get traded this season.

"Unless you know something I don't," he told ESPN's Marc Stein, when asked about the possibility of getting dealt.

"I talk to management a lot. We're on the same page. I'm not worried about it."

Reports have indicated that Kings owner Vivek Ranadive is loathe to part with his prized center, and sources told Stein the front office still considers it too early to seriously consider trading him. Meanwhile, opinions around the league appear to be split on whether the mercurial star would even be worth his weight in prospect capital.

"Everything about that guy is wrong," one rival executive recently told The Vertical's Chris Mannix. "I don't want that attitude around my young players."

An assistant coach from the same team had a different take. "That situation out there would screw anybody up," the coach told Mannix. "I'm telling you, get him out of that mess and you will see a different person."

Cousins, who will be an unrestricted free agent after next season, says all the trade talk flatters him more than it distracts him.

"To know that you're wanted throughout the league ... I'd be worried if nobody wanted me," he said. "Then I'd have a situation on my hands. But I'm happy where I am. I'm happy with this team. I'm in a great place."