Kings' vice president of basketball operations, Vlade Divac, called Cousins "untradeable" in a recent interview, NBC Sports reports. "DeMarcus is untradeable," Divac said. "He's a guy who we're going to try to build around and see where he's going to take us."
Analysis:
While Divac's words far from guarantee anything, they reaffirm the belief that the Kings are comfortable going forward with Cousins as their franchise centerpiece. The Kentucky product has emerged as one of the best two-way big men in the league, but his individual numbers have not translated to team success. For the past few seasons, rumors have swirled suggesting that Cousins may want out of Sacramento, but the All-Star, himself, has never said as much. Even so, the prevailing belief seems to be that he's close to fed up with the team's losing ways, and his name has surfaced as a potential trade target this offseason. Divac's comments suggest the Kings have no interest in parting ways with Cousins, but that likely won't prevent teams from pursuing potential deals this summer.
