Golden State Warriors center and former New Orleans Pelicans star DeMarcus Cousins has gone on record with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports to discuss his belief that the mismanagement of the Pelicans organization led former teammate and fellow Kentucky alum Anthony Davis into joining high profile agent Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports Group as well as submitting his public trade request.
?NEW POSTED UP POD?
Sat down w/ @boogiecousins to talk working way back to form, fan interactions, pending free-agency, narrative on his defense, real NBA tough guys, when he knew AD wanted out, winning a title, his comedy show & plenty more…
?: https://t.co/tU1mJJGtAt pic.twitter.com/CAA8L0aYne
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 27, 2019
During his discussion with Haynes, Cousins mentions how he believes the Pelicans unwillingness to pay him what he felt he was worth following his achilles tear which led to his signing with the Warriors in the 2018 offseason. Regarding Davis’ wishes to be traded Cousins stated:
“As soon as that goofy junk (the circumstances that led to Cousins’ departure) went down, I knew exactly what was gonna happen (with Anthony Davis)… It was just a matter of time for y’all to find out.”
When Haynes asked Cousins if the situation in New Orleans could have been avoided if General Manager Dell Demps, who has since been fired by the Pelicans, would have had a better grasp on the situation, Cousins burst out into laughter, jokingly adding:
“Buddy had a master plan, you know? I wish him the best”
Cousins appeared in 65 games alongside Anthony Davis for the Pelicans, with both being products of John Calipari’s tutelage at Kentucky in 2009-10 and 2011-12 respectively. The closeness between the two was perhaps best illustrated in Davis wearing
Cousins’ number zero jersey to begin the 2018 All-Star Game after injury prevented Cousins from participating.
