To the 29 other teams in the league: Don't get your hopes up. Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins is going nowhere.
The Kings' top decision maker Vice President Vlade Divac appeared on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Tuesday and did not mince words regarding his team's franchise center.
Just talked to Vlade Divac on @SiriusXMNBA He said George Karl "might have overstepped his bounds" saying no player is untradeable #Kings
— Justin Termine (@TermineRadio) May 19, 2015
"DeMarcus is untradeable & a guy who we want to build around" Divac on DeMarcus Cousins
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) May 19, 2015
It's no big secret Cousins has been unhappy at times with the Kings' instability and failures over his five seasons with the team. The Kings have won just 131 games against 263 losses with Cousins on the roster and has never once finished better than 13th in the West.
However, that's through no fault of Cousins, who is possibly the most talented and dominant center in the NBA. Cousins finally made the All-Star team last season while posting absurd averages of 24.1 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game, good for a PER of 25.2. Sure, Cousins is tempestuous, but his game is top-notch.
There's also the added benefit of Cousins's affordable contract. Cousins has three seasons remaining on his deal which sees him earn just under $16 million per year. That figure is already a bargain given the current salary cap of $63.5 million, let alone the projected $90 million figure in 2016-17 following the NBA's new broadcast deal.
Due to the Kings' inability to surround Cousins with an adequate cast, teams like the Boston Celtics have reportedly floated offers to lure Cousins away. The Celtics are reportedly willing to part with their bounty of future draft picks for a chance to snag Cousins.
