The Sacramento Kings wasted a good idea by trading DeMarcus Cousins

The Sacramento Kings were in desperate need of a fresh start. Their relationship with DeMarcus Cousins had reached a point where the two sides just couldn’t reach success with each other. Kings management wasted Cousins’ talent from day one and ruined the closest thing they ever had to a playoff team in the Cousins era after firing Mike Malone mid-season.

Of course, the current Kings management isn’t all to blame. The early years of Cousins’ career were a dumpster fire with new coaches, rumors of the franchise being moved or sold and general Maloof behavior on almost a daily basis. With everything that happened early on, it’s a shock that he’s turned into the incredible player he is today.

Yet, Cousins is no angel when it comes to the disaster that has been the Kings. His entire time in Sacramento was the same story every year — great individual player but a personality that is extremely difficult to work with. He piled up technical fouls season after season and rarely did he show effort in trying to change that about himself. Multiple players over the course of NBA history have been more tech happy than others, but over time those players adjust and learn to marginally reduce it. Cousins, on the other hand, picked up enough technicals this season to be suspended before the All-Star break.

Read More: NBA players react to the DeMarcus Cousins trade

While the techs would be one thing if Cousins was known for giving it 100 percent, it’s well known that he pouts on the court when things don’t go the way he wants and is choosy on playing defense. There’s a moment during close games where he will make the decision that he doesn’t want to lose. It’s those moments where Cousins’ dominance as a big man shines through and quite frankly it’s one of the five most entertaining parts of the NBA. Sadly, Cousins can’t be relied on to be fully engaged on both ends on every possession.

This is why the two sides needed a fresh start. Cousins can’t be relied on for entire games, refuses to change and has a demeanor that is emotionally draining for anybody that has to work with him. At the same time, it’s hard to blame Cousins when he’s known nothing but incompetence from the organization he works for since entering the NBA. What coach has ever been around long enough — or influential enough — to convince Cousins he should tone it back? Who has proven themselves in the front office reliable enough for Cousins to willingly work his ass off for on a nightly basis?

These two sides passed the point of no return long ago. They’re better off without each other. The Kings can burn everything down to the very last blade of grass and finally get the fresh start they so desperately need, and Cousins can get a much needed change of environment.

Trading Cousins was a good idea, but in true Kings fashion that great idea was absolutely wasted by poor execution. The Kings needed to move on from him, and sometimes that means taking a little less to get the right deal, but the one Sacramento settled on was not the right deal. It’s possibly telling about Cousins’ value across the NBA that the only teams willing to take a risk on him in a mid-season trade were non-contenders. The New Orleans Pelicans in particular have absolutely nothing to lose from gaining Cousins. They were going nowhere fast and Cousins finally gives them a step in the right direction. If he walks after his contract ends, they’ll just be right where they were before the trade.

Other teams interested were the directionless Phoenix Suns and desperate for relevance Los Angeles Lakers. All of these teams were willing to make sacrifices to get Cousins.

So why is it that all the Kings could get were two minimally protected firsts, a veteran, Buddy Hield and a young wing they’re going to waive anyway? Cousins is arguably the best center in the entire NBA. He’s said multiple times that he was willing to sign his extension to stay in Sacramento. The Kings had all the leverage in the world here, yet they still gave away their best player for horrible value. There are 15 teams in the NBA that could have made similar — or perhaps better — offers that the Kings didn’t go with. By picking this offer, the Kings have chosen to settle for the bare minimum.

And to put the cherry on top of everything, the entire NBA world had a play-by-play of this entire process through reporters on Twitter. Marc Stein and Adrian Wojnarowski reported when the deals were being discussed, which teams were involved, when the offers were sitting on Vivek Ranadive’s desk and when the decision had been made within seconds of it happening. Everything was out in the open.

Next: NBA players react to the DeMarcus Cousins trade

It’s great that Sacramento finally has a chance to start over. It’s even better that Cousins finally gets a chance to see what a proper NBA team looks like. However, the execution for everything that happened in this trade looks like another failure, which is a damn shame.