DeMarcus Cousins Rumors: Warriors Star Open to Kings Reunion, SAC Not Interested
June 30, 2019
Free agent center DeMarcus Cousins may be interested in signing with his former team, the Sacramento Kings, but the feeling doesn't appear to be mutual.
According to Jason Jones of The Athletic, "Cousins would be open to the idea of a return, but the Kings have not expressed interest in a reunion. The Kings are focused on their younger players and playing a faster style. They have also resisted bringing in big personalities such as Cousins since trading him."
The Kings, to their credit, have a blueprint in place for the type of center they are looking to add.
"If you're talking about the Sacramento Kings, we know exactly how we're going to play: uptempo, athleticism and shooting," general manager Vlade Divac told Jones. "The big guy has to check all those boxes for us to be somebody we consider to draft (or sign)."
One player the team appears to be targeting is free agent Dewayne Dedmon. According to KHTK radio host Carmichael Dave Weiglein, there is "mutual, and strong" interest between the Kings and Dedmon, with "confidence on both sides" of potentially coming to a contract agreement.
Dedmon was excellent in the 2018-19 season, averaging 10.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 38.2 percent from three.
Players like Al Horford, Brook Lopez and DeAndre Jordan could also pique the interest of the Kings, per Jones, though all would likely either come with a bigger price tag—or the desire for more years on their contract than the Kings may want to offer—than a player like Dedmon.
Granted, a healthy Cousins is a better overall player than anyone in that group, especially on the offensive end. The 28-year-old—who spent parts of seven seasons in Sacramento—has averaged 21.8 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in his NBA career, and has also shown improvement from three, shooting at least 35 percent from beyond the arc in the three seasons prior to his injury-shortened campaign with the Golden State Warriors.
But the Kings need a complementary piece at center more than they need a player capable of filling a starring role. In De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley Jr. and Harrison Barnes—the latter of whom will reportedly re-sign with the team this summer on a four-year deal in the range of $88 to $90 million, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee—the Kings already have a talented core in place.
Fox is a future star, Hield has thrived in Sacramento, Bagley showed promise in his rookie season and Barnes is a solid two-way wing with championship experience. That's a group that will be expected to reach the postseason this year.
Cousins, for all of his talent, simply doesn't appear to be a great fit with how the Kings want to play or with their current timeline for contending.