DeMarcus Cousins might be willing to see how things workout with the Sacramento Kings now that new coach Dave Joerger is on the squad. But what if things don’t work out? What if the 2016-17 season ends up much like the other season in the last decade? An underwhelming campaign resulting in missing the postseason. The Kings might be in trouble if this happens because they may once again have a very mad superstar in DeMarcus Cousins.
A franchise that has had the opposite level of success if the Dallas Mavericks. They have missed the playoffs only once since 2000. While recently it has been a string of first round exits, they’ve still had season success throughout and they even went to the NBA Finals twice in the last 10 years. Dirk Nowitzki has been the driving force for the organization as the star of the team but his time in the NBA might be coming to an end. It could mean the Mavs are looking to what’s next after Dirk. His contract can end after 2018 if the Mavs pick up his option next season, and he could end up retiring. That could be the motivation the Mavs need to chase after quite possibly the biggest name in the 2018 free agent class, DeMarcus Cousins.
Following from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
For Mavs fans who might be wondering, DeMarcus Cousins is set to hit free agency in summer of 2018. Yes, Mavs expected to go hard after him.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 22, 2016
A nice wrinkle to this comes courtesy of the Mavs D-League team, the Texas Legends. They currently have the rights to Cousins’ younger brother, Jaleel Cousins, who went undrafted in 2016.
DeMarcus Cousins has been the captain of the trade rumor boat for well over a year now but Sacramento has yet to make a move. The Kings just opened a new arena, the ‘Golden 1 Center’ and they need all the star power they can tout for the first season. Unfortunately for them, their two best players have voiced their displeasure in the past. While Cousins has lowered his stance on a potential departure, Rudy Gay has been one to completely roast the Kings on many occasions.
Another subpar Kings season could mean an unpleasant Boogie Cousins. How many more times will DeMarcus be the subject of rumors before he’s had enough? If Rudy Gay has already told the Kings he wants out, prepare for Cousins to possibly do the same if things start to go bad.
The Mavericks might not be a team that’s rumored to want to trade for Cousins but if the situation is right and Dallas can somehow sell Sacramento on Wesley Matthews, a player the Kings coveted last summer, then the building blocks for a deal might be there. It would be in the Kings best interest to get what they can for Boogie now, because if he walks in 2018, the Mavericks will most certainly have the money to go after him.
