Cousins shuts down trade rumors: 'I'm a King. I'm good.'
DeMarcus Cousins isn't about to fuel trade rumors about him going anywhere.
As the 7-11 Sacramento Kings continue to struggle, the big man's name remains a staple in trade talks. Those have been magnified with the team in Boston ahead of Friday's matchup with the Celtics, who own an abundance of trade assets and have been in the market for a star.
Related: 3 players Celtics might target in a trade
Cousins, an All-Star and Olympic gold medalist, was asked Thursday about the speculation.
"I'm a King. I'm good," he replied, as quoted by Jason Jones of the Sac Bee.
The 26-year-old has experienced his fair share of losing in Sacramento. He's never been to the playoffs since being drafted by the Kings in 2010, and has played for six coaches over that span.
Despite Boogie's efforts - including two All-NBA campaigns - the club has a cumulative record of 171-323 (.346) with him. Still, he's denied rumors that he wants to be moved. In fact, he's expressed a desire to have former Kentucky teammate John Wall join him in Sactown.
Team owner Vivek Ranadive also reportedly wants to keep Cousins, whose current deal runs until the end of next season. Should management decide to ship him away, a rival executive believes the Kings only have until February's deadline to get back a reasonable return.
Cousins is having another terrific year for himself, averaging a career-high 28.7 points on 47 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent from beyond the arc. He's also chipping in 10.4 boards, 3.2 dimes, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks.