ESPN: Kings GM told DeMarcus Cousins he won’t be traded

When Arizona Sports 98.7 FM’s John Gambadoro reported that the Suns and Kings had discussed a swap centered around DeMarcus Cousins, it came with a few caveats that made such a deal seem far from a possibility.

For one, the Phoenix assets listed in the trade talks — T.J. Warren, Alex Len and the Suns’ 2017 first-round pick — didn’t add up to enough for such a blockbuster. More would be needed.

Maybe more importantly, Sacramento remains the most unpredictable and most confounding team in the entire NBA.

ESPN Marc Stein’s reported Monday that the Kings told the All-Star center they wouldn’t trade him before the Feb. 23 deadline, and it indicated Sacramento would do just that.

Kings general manager Vlade Divac told Stein that Cousins wouldn’t be traded and that the team would like to sign him to an extension.

Additionally, sources told Stein that Divac met with Cousins and his representatives to assert his intentions.

To the second caveat, Divac coming out and putting rumors to bed doesn’t help the insinuations that Sacramento’s front office very well could have discussed Cousins with the Suns.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said previously that Phoenix and Sacramento had discussed a Brandon Knight deal, but he added on Zach Lowe’s podcast that the Kings remain mysterious in how they operate.

“It’s hard to read Sacramento. Sacramento talks a lot but then never does anything, so Sacramento’s very frustrating to people,” Windhorst said. “I know that Sacramento has been talking to Phoenix about Brandon Knight since the summer. Will that ultimately get done? I don’t know, but it’s out there.”

If Divac sticks to his word, it appears Cousins won’t be shipped to Phoenix — or anywhere else.

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