A Royal Pain
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Opinion: DeMarcus Cousins Will Not Be Traded This Summer

By Rafe Wong

Mar 21, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) shoots against Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (3) and forward Taj Gibson (22) during the second half at United Center. Bulls won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) shoots against Chicago Bulls forward Doug McDermott (3) and forward Taj Gibson (22) during the second half at United Center. Bulls won 109-102. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Sacramento Kings are entering their 10th straight offseason without even sniffing the scent of playoff basketball, and in the most recent years the question has risen in Kings fans’ minds: Should the Kings trade franchise player DeMarcus Cousins?

The talent of Cousins is unquestionable. He is definitely THE most skilled player in his position and has produced numbers that solidify his status as the best big man in the NBA.

Even though his personal accolades will jump off his resume, the success that he has had with his team is another story. In the 6 seasons that Cousins has played with the Sacramento Kings, they have earned a record of 164-312 (34.5%) with no playoffs berths to go with it.

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The Kings need a cultural makeover (again) and will have to make significant changes going forward for the team to get back to relevancy. The news recently came out that the Kings front office will explore trade offers that include the Kings possibly parting with their All-Star big man (per Fox Sports).

Whether the report is true or not or whether they are serious is uncertain. An outsider like myself could not know. But my overall opinion on the issue is that the Kings will not trade away Cousins this offseason and here is why.

1) He Is a Beast With Star Talent: The Sacramento Kings have been a mess these last couple of seasons, but hope always remained in their fans’ hearts because the organization had a star-caliber player in Cousins.

By the season, Cousins has continued to improve as a player. Two seasons ago he needed to work on defense, and now he has developed into a solid rim-protector. Under a year ago he couldn’t make three-points shots, but he finished this season shooting 33.3% from the perimeter while averaging over 1 made three per game.

Mar 20, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) reacts against the New York Knicks during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Sacramento Kings defeated the New York Knicks 88-80. Mandatory Credit: Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) reacts against the New York Knicks during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Sacramento Kings defeated the New York Knicks 88-80. Mandatory Credit: Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports /

Cousins, who is only 25 years of age, has been a statistical monster throughout his career and will continue to improve going forward. This season he finished the year averaging 26.9 points and 11.5 rebounds a game in a league where star big man are close to extinction.

Cousins has shown that he is more of an asset for the Kings than a liability throughout his tenure and has shown to be extremely effective when he has a coach that he can gel with.

The Kings realize that they a have a legit franchise player in their hands. You don’t trade players like that unless you are for sure going to gain a massive bargain in return, which carries towards my next reason on why Cousins will not be traded.

2) Asking For Too Much: Like I mentioned above, DeMarcus Cousins is a beast. Because of this fact, the asking price for Cousins SHOULD be expensive for teams that are pursuing his services. A good price for Cousins, in my perspective, would consist of a package of trading away multiple draft picks and solid players that have established themselves already in the league. Based on probably many opinions, this would be a dream world scenario for the Kings.

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I expect the Kings to ask for a hefty price for any team that hopes to acquire Cousins this offseason and I do not see any team giving up that much for just one player in return.

But hey, in recent history the organization gave away a now All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas for basically a warm can of diet Mountain Dew. But then again that was a different front office running the reigns at the time.

Final Thoughts: The rumors can come out that the Kings are considering trading away Cousins this Summer, but I don’t foresee it actually becoming a reality. Because Cousins is such a dominant player and that the asking price (I expect) will be too much for teams who are interested in the big man to pull trigger is why Cousins will stay intact with Sacramento going into next season.

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