DeMarcus Cousins Says He Wants to Stay in Sacramento

Despite his third suspension in the last two months, and the Sacramento Kings reportedly no longer considering the young star an “untouchable” asset, DeMarcus Cousins insists that he would like to remain right where he is. The Kings have have reinstated Cousins (his latest outburst cost him a game and a practice.) Per USA Today: “Even though Cousins has shared his frustrations about the Kings organization privately so many times before, he insisted a trade demand wasn’t on the horizon. It’s still not a season to be jolly about, but Cousins said he wants to be in Sacramento. ‘I want to be in Sacramento,’ he said. Asked if he wanted to be in Sacramento for the long term and if he could see himself wanting to sign another contract with the team either this summer (by way of an extension) or when his rookie deal expires after next season and he would become a restricted free agent, Cousins paused for some three seconds before answering. ‘I want to be in Sacramento,’ he repeated. ‘The possibility does exist. It’s a possibility.’ As is stands, of course, the Kings are trying to decide whether they even want him around anymore. A person with knowledge of the team’s plans said Saturday that Cousins was not considered ‘untouchable’ in terms of a possible trade, though it’s believed that the Kings are merely listening to offers at this point as opposed to openly shopping the player they drafted fifth overall out of Kentucky in 2010. As talented as Cousins clearly is, the early assessment of his value around the league – at least at the moment – is that it’s on the serious decline. Teams known to have significant interest in Cousins in the past were Detroit, Houston, and Denver, though even the most ardent fans of his game have admitted his latest incident would cause concern. Because no one in the Kings organization has been a bigger supporter of Cousins than [Keith] Smart, his decision to treat his coach in such a disrespectful way marked a new low for the player whose career has been marred by incidents such as these. Before the Kings can worry about the Feb. 21 trade deadline, they first must decide when to allow Cousins to return to the team. There are indications Cousins could rejoin the team as early as the Monday practice and possibly play in a Wednesday game at Portland, though that’s not for certain. Cousins, who is averaging 16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game this season, will have to convince Kings officials that he is contrite in order to rejoin the team. Cousins said he spoke with Smart on Sunday, and he also is expected to address his teammates about the situation before being allowed back. He said after Friday’s game that he had apologized to his teammates for the incident that he ‘was wrong.’ The Kings had been strongly advising the volatile Cousins to begin seeing a mental health counselor, but a person with knowledge of the situation said he refused to do so.”