Cousins discussed possibility of joining Wizards with Wall prior to being traded
A potential reunion in the nation's capital of former Kentucky Wildcat teammates John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins somewhere down the road was something the two All-Stars had discussed happening.
"I talked to him. He said he would come to D.C., but he didn't know what was going to happen," Wall said to The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears. "I didn't know he was going to be traded like that. We thought it was going to be later on or he was just going to stay (in Sacramento). It shocked me just like it shocked him."
Despite assurances from Kings management that he wasn't going to be dealt, Cousins ultimately found himself being shipped off to the New Orleans Pelicans days ahead of the Feb. 23 trade deadline.
"It was so crazy because he walked past me when I was talking to the media (after the NBA All-Star Game) and he said something about the trade," Wall added. "I was like, 'Huh.' It didn't register what he said. So I called him right when I got to my phone. He said, 'Yeah, I'm at the airport. I don't know where to go. Do I go back to 'Sac' or do I stay here?’
"He was just hurt. I feel that with all the tough times he had been through (in Sacramento), he never gave up on the city. There was so much he did for the community. So much that he gave back. He always showed that he wanted to be there whether they were losing bad or not. In six years, he never said he wanted to leave."
Sacramento failed to qualify for the postseason every year Cousins was on the roster, yet despite the team's lack of success, the 26-year-old big man remained committed to seeing things through and even sticking around on a new long-term contract.
He had even hoped that Wall would be the one changing his address and coming to Sacramento instead of vice versa.
Boogie remains under contract with the Pelicans through the 2017-18 campaign at $16.7 million before hitting unrestricted free agency. New Orleans has compiled a record of 3-7 in games he's played since the blockbuster deal.