DeMarcus Cousins Is 'Very Happy' with Kings, Wants to Sign Contract Extension
If DeMarcus Cousins has his way, he will remain with the Sacramento Kings for the foreseeable future.
The center appeared on SportsCenter Thursday (h/t Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com) and said he was "very happy" and "where I want to be." He added he plans on signing a contract extension with the only NBA team he's ever known because he wants his "legacy to end in Sacramento" and his "jersey to be in the rafters."
Cousins is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2018, per Spotrac, and Shelburne noted he can ink a five-year extension worth up to $219 million this coming offseason.
The Kentucky product also indicated his confidence in the direction the Kings are headed during the interview. They are 24-33 this season but only 1.5 games back of the Denver Nuggets for the No. 8 spot in a Western Conference that features just seven teams above .500.
Cousins' desire to stay is welcome news for the Kings, considering he is just 26 years old and already a three-time All-Star. He is averaging 27.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game this season.
However, it hasn't always been smooth sailing, as Shelburne pointed out Dave Joerger is Cousins' sixth head coach in seven seasons.
"Cousins acknowledged the trust issues that have hurt his relationship with Kings management in the past but said he has found a way of dealing with it," Shelburne wrote.
He said he has placed his trust in an inner circle that includes his family, friends and former Kentucky teammates, John Wall and Eric Bledsoe.
While Cousins was once suspended for a confrontation with then head coach George Karl and has been the subject of past trade rumors, he seems to be in a positive place in Sacramento this season.
If the Kings make a postseason push after the All-Star break, they can signify to other free agents they are ready to compete in the West and ideally attract more talent to play alongside the superstar in the coming years.
