While much was made about the Sacramento Kings trading DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans for pennies on the dollar, it appears as if General Manager Vlade Divac had little choice.
That’s because Divac told Blic Sport that at least three teams declined his proposals for a DeMarcus Cousins trade, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns.
According to the piece, the Kings offered Cousins in exchange for packages centered around Brandon Ingram, Nikola Jokic and Devin Booker.
“There was no way that we (could get) Jokic. I wanted him, but (Denver refused). I tried to get Booker in Phoenix, and Ingram from the Lakers but there was no chance. I wanted to start from the beginning and I think that’s for the best.”
Of course, it’s very likely that all of those trade proposals included a first-round draft pick as well, something the Sacramento Kings desired.
That may make the pill a little easier to swallow for fans of the Lakers, Suns and Nuggets who would have liked to see DeMarcus Cousins wearing their jersey instead of the Pelicans.
It also speaks to the validity of few options available in regards to a DeMarcus Cousins trade, which left the Kings with nothing more than a first round pick and Buddy Hield.
