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Cousins calls out Kings for 'dishonesty' but says he's OK with trade

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

DeMarcus Cousins was introduced to New Orleans media Wednesday morning, a day after his emotional goodbye to Sacramento. Yet while the three-time All-Star center seemed to part ways amicably with the Kings' fanbase, he didn't sound the same about the team's management structure.

"The way it was done, the dishonesty that came with it," Cousins told reporters about any difficulty he had accepting the shocking trade. "But I'm okay with it."

He added that he didn't want to take Kings general manager Vlade Divac's phone call after the fact.

"I haven't talked to anybody (from the Kings), Vlade, he tried to call after everything was done," Cousins said, shrugging. "But it was done."

Related: Cousins gives teary goodbye to Sacramento

Cousins' disappointment clearly stems for the fact that prior to Sunday, all signs pointed to the Kings signing him to a long-term contract extension. The organization's sudden about-face was only one aspect of the All-Star weekend surprise, its roundly-ridiculed return for Cousins the other. Either way, the star knows the NBA is a business.

"Sunday was a wild day," he said, chuckling. "Just a lot of mixed emotions. It was very unexpected. I sat in the airport ... just my mind racing, didn't really know what to think. But I've tried to understand the situation but what I came to is this is a business. So I'm not sour, I'm not mad, I don't have any ill feelings, this is a business."

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