Sacramento Kings: Trading DeMarcus Cousins Would Be Foolish

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins is a player who often lets his emotions get the better of him. But when it comes to his recent alleged "trade demands", any Kings fan who feels Cousins should be shipped out of Sacramento is just as much letting emotions get the better of them.

Simply put, Sacramento shouldn't even consider trading Cousins. First off, because no one outside of the Kings office knows what really happened with the trade demands, and second, because it makes no basketball sense to trade him.

Westphal says Cousins demanded a trade twice. Cousins denies he ever demanded anything. Since it is impossible to know what really happened, believing one side or another becomes nothing more than a popularity contest. Do you believe Westphal, or Cousins? Or rather, which one do you like better?

Cousins' agent, John Greig, says Cousins' request wasn't so much a demand, but seems to think it was taken totally out of context. The belief from the Cousins camp was that the statement was more along the lines of "if you think I'm such a problem, then trade me." 

Again, believing one side or another doesn't help this situation. But if that is what Cousins actually said, then shame on Westphal for calling that a trade demand.

It's like a young child saying he'll run away and his parents broadcasting it to the neighborhood—how does it help anyone?

But even if Cousins did demand a trade and is a big problem in the Kings locker-room, the Kings themselves have made it so trading Cousins for any value would be impossible.

When coach Westphal released the statement about Cousins, Westphal was as publicly as possible denouncing his star. The argument can be made that the organization felt that a public reprimand was necessary to get Cousins under control.

But at the same time, Westphal and the Kings killed Cousins' trade value. When Westphal claimed the trade requests were "just the tip of the iceberg", it only made it worse. Now, no team in the NBA will give the Kings fair value for Cousins, even if they believe he'd absolutely be worth the risk. 

So even if Cousins is guilty of every supposed infraction and more, anyone who wishes him gone must admit the Kings would only get pennies on the dollar in return for his talent.

Cousins may be struggling with his shooting this season, but his potential is unrivaled amongst most of the NBA's young bigmen. If the Kings tried to trade him, the offers they'd get in return would be laughable.

The best medicine for everyone involved is for the Kings to start winning. If that means an exit for Coach Westphal, so be it. But the one thing the Kings can't do is trade Cousins, and if they are even considering it, then they are bigger fools than Cousins will ever be.