Cousins unmoved by losing super-max: 'Was never about the money'

For DeMarcus Cousins, it was more about leaving a legacy than dollar bills.

While he's no longer eligible to sign a super-max contract extension after being traded by the Kings last month, the star big man says he wasn't focused on receiving the monster deal.

"It was never about the money," Cousins told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears. "I don’t play this game for money. Anyone that knows me knows that I don’t play for the money. I had money before. I’m perfectly fine. To say it doesn’t help me would be a lie. Of course I want it. It wasn’t about the money. It never was."

Related: Cousins' thoughts on trade: 'Don't treat me like a f---ing piece of cattle'

Had he stayed in Sacramento, Cousins would've been eligible to sign a super-max contract extension this summer due to making All-NBA teams in two straight seasons. Instead, the Pelicans will only be able to offer him about $180 million this offseason - about $30 million less than he could've made with the Kings.

And while Sacramento never recorded a winning season since drafting Cousins in 2010, he was perfectly content with the idea of staying in California's capital long-term.

"I wanted my legacy to end in Sacramento," Cousins said. "I invested so much time and energy. Everything I had, my whole heart was into that city. Just for it to end the way it did, that was the part that was f----ed. But it was never about the money. I don’t give a s--- about the money."

Cousins will have the opportunity to face his former team on Friday, when the Pelicans host the Kings at Smoothie King Center.