NBA veterans like to make appearances now and again at Summer League in order to check in on the prospects for their respective teams. Presumably that is what DeMarcus Cousins was doing when he made an appearance in Las Vegas. However, that is not what is gaining the attention of the media. Instead, everyone is discussing the somewhat "awkward" handshake between Cousins and head coach George Karl as the relationship between the two has been on full display.
According to ESPN.com, Karl approaches Cousins with a handshake. The two quickly made contact and then looked away. While this would not be a big deal if it were any other player and coach, these two have had their relationship questioned as it was reported by ESPN's Chris Broussard that Karl wanted to trade Cousins during the NBA Draft while team president Vlade Divac shut it down. Now, Cousins remains on the Kings' roster, but the relationship is torn.
"Cuz and I have to work together to get back together, and I think we will," Karl said, via ESPN.com. "All of our guys are hungry for winning. And Cuz is our best player, our most talented kid. And we need him to feel like there's a commitment from both sides, from he to us and from us to he."
For now, Cousins is not going anywhere and will instead figure out how to coexist on the court with the newly drafted Willie Cauley-Stein who was thought of as the replacement for the center. They will join the newly signed Rajon Rondo, Caron Butler and Marco Belinelli. Divac has made it clear that Cousins is the player he is building the team around. He referred to the center as a franchise player which signifies that he is not headed anywhere soon regardless of what Karl wants.
"I really believe in DeMarcus," Divac said, via ESPN.com. "DeMarcus is definitely our guy we want to build our team around."
The Kings could still add at least one more name to the roster. According to Rudy Gay's social media accounts, Josh Smith is the next target for Sacramento. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported that Smith is in talks with several teams as the third week of free agency rages on. Smith could be looking for contract size more than anything else which could put the Kings at a loss. After all of the offseason moves get wrapped up, players like Rondo believe in what is being created with the Kings.
"Sky's the limit," Rondo said, via ESPN. "I've been basically challenged my whole life. It is what it is. A lot of people didn't expect me to come this far in the NBA. I have no doubts about what my talents can do. ... Life is about handling adversity and I've dealt with a little bit of adversity this past season."