The Sacramento Kings have been mentioned in DeMarcus Cousins trade rumors all summer and after a deal with the Lakers did not happen at the draft, speculation has continued that some within the Kings organization still want Cousins to be traded. The Kings have signed Eric Moreland to a contract and it comes after the team signed Marshall Henderson to a camp deal.
The Kings came up in rumors earlier this summer around the NBA draft regarding a Cousins trade and at that time the Lakers looked like a potential option for a deal. Yahoo Sports reported that a framework was discussed between the teams, but a deal never came close to getting done. The rumors died down after that, but recently Howard Beck at Bleacher Report wrote an article detailing that many in the organization still want to pull off a deal.
Beck reported that while owner Vivek Ranadivé is not looking to make a deal, the "vast majority" of people within the organization "are in favor of" trading Cousins. Beck writes that George Karl is one of the members of the organization that is still pushing for a trade. Karl has made public statements downplaying the past reports and he was not concerned about the relationship with Cousins being an issue.
Cousins is coming off of his best season and he has shown that he can be one of the best bigs in the league, but Karl may not see him as a player to build around. If the Kings season goes awry, there is always a chance a deal could happen, but right now there is not any major movement on a trade. The Boston Celtics reportedly were considering trying for a deal this summer, but that also did not come close to happening.
Cousins responded to the recent rumors on social media, writing "blah blah blah" in relation to the report. Cousins had some maturity issues early in his career, but he appears to have gotten over those in the last couple years. Sean Cunningham of ABC10 (KXTV) Sacramento reported in August that Cousins said the relationship with Karl was improving and that is has been "getting better every day." The relationship between those two is key, especially after all the reports this summer.
Last season Cousins played in just 59 games, but he averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds and three assists per game and nearly two blocks. The Kings have made a number of free agent additions this offseason, including Rajon Rondo and Marco Belinelli and now they have added back Eric Moreland. According to RealGM, Moreland, who was waived by the Kings in July, has signed a one-year deal with the team and the contract reportedly has "significant guarantees."
Moreland likely will make the roster if that's the case and it comes as the team has also added Marshall Henderson on a camp contract. The team has been active this summer in adding players with Seth Curry and Kosta Koufos coming in and Moreland could be a depth option up front. Henderson may not end up making the team, but he could be a D-League option, while Curry and Darren Collison should be the backups for Rajon Rondo.
Check here for more on the Kings and the potential of trading Cousins. Check here for more on Eric Moreland.
