The Sacramento Kings’ trade of All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins last February was nothing short of a franchise-altering one, but general manager Vlade Divac is pleased with what it has yielded thus far.
In an interview with Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe over the weekend, Divac opened up about the trade and his satisfaction level with the results.
“When we made that decision [to trade Cousins], we knew exactly where we were going,” said Divac. “We made a plan and try to execute it. So far, it’s exactly what we want. We have nice, young talented kids, and obviously with the addition of veteran guys [they] are going to teach them on a daily basis what it takes to win, what it takes to be a pro. It’s going to help a lot.”
Cousins was traded along with Omri Casspi to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway, Tyreke Evans, and pair of 2017 draft picks. It was a return that was widely criticized at the time, and even Divac himself admitted that he could have gotten a better deal.
But the Kings used one of those picks from New Orleans to acquire the rights to Justin Jackson and Harry Giles and drafted Frank Mason III with the other one. They also selected De’Aaron Fox with their own first-rounder, giving them a tremendous young core to develop over the next several years.
Divac had previously said he would step down if the trade did not ultimately make the Kings better off. But now that they have moved past Cousins’ volatility while also putting themselves in a strong position for the future from the looks of it, Divac’s job is probably safe in that regard, and he knows it.
