Sacramento General Manager Vlade Divac headed into All-Star weekend convinced it was finally time to part ways with ultra-talented center DeMarcus Cousins.
Befitting a franchise that appears headed to a 11th straight season without a playoff berth, the Kings even seemed to botch that. Sacramento dealt Cousins and forward Omri Casspi to New Orleans in exchange for Tyreke Evans, 2016 first-round draft pick Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway and first- and second-round draft picks this summer.
When asked Monday why he didn’t wait for a better offer closer to Thursday’s trade deadline, Divac gave a curious response that raised more questions than it answered.
“Most likely we would get less because I had a better deal two days ago,” Divac said. “I don’t want to go into details. I don’t want to discuss the process.”
Cousins will now team with another former Kentucky big man who has developed into an NBA All-Star in New Orleans’ Anthony Davis. Cousins is averaging 27.8 points and 10.6 rebounds this season and can become a free agent in 2018 unless the Pelicans can sign him to an All-Star caliber extension.
The Kings have not won more than 33 games in a season since drafting Cousins fifth overall in 2010 and grew tired of his antics that included frequent run-ins with coaches, media members and officials.
He leads the NBA with 17 technical fouls this season, leading to a one-game suspension earlier this month.
TV RATINGS: The NBA All-Star game drew an average audience of 7.8 million viewers, making it the most-viewed All-Star broadcast since 2013.
Turner Sports announced the numbers on Monday. The number of viewers peaked at 8.5 million and the total audience was up 3 percent from last year’s game.
The hype surrounding the game centered on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook playing on the Western Conference team together. Durant left Oklahoma City last summer to join Golden State, leaving his longtime teammate Westbrook behind with the Thunder. Westbrook did not hide his dissatisfaction with Durant, which ratcheted up the intrigue heading into the game on Sunday.
The two shared the court for just 81 seconds and Oklahoma City posted the highest local market rating with a 10.9.
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