Vlade Divac and the Sacramento Kings organization have endured a lot of deserved criticism for trading away longtime franchise star DeMarcus Cousins. After all, the package they received in return from the New Orleans Pelicans was not one typically seen in return for a star.
Most agreed that if the Kings were planning on trading away Cousins, they should have received a better franchise cornerstone in return. Buddy Hield is still a rookie and has room to grow but he does not appear likely to ever become a star-level player.
But it’s not for a lack of trying that Divac was unable to get a better young player. At least according to the Kings’ general manager, he attempted to trade for Nikola Jokic, Brandon Ingram, and Devin Booker.
Following translated from an interview with European website Blic Sports:
“I wanted him [Jokic], but Denver refused. I tried to get to Booker in Phoenix, and Ingram from the Lakers but there was no chance. I wanted to start from the beginning and I think that’s for the best,” said Divac.
The Ingram angle was known, with the Lakers reportedly remaining involved in negotiations until the rookie small forward’s name was brought up. Jokic appears to be a star in the making for the Nuggets and it would not have made sense for them to move the big man when they can have him for longer and under a more team-friendly deal.
The Booker angle here is interesting. He’s a better player than Hield, but there are legitimate questions about whether he will come close to being a star. We obviously don’t know the full terms of those negotiations (if they existed) but it is interesting that the Suns were unwilling to trade Booker in a package for Cousins.
