Kings VP/Basketball Operations & GM Vlade Divac set the team "on a new path" Sunday night when he made the "sharp move away from" C DeMarcus Cousins by trading the All-Star to the Pelicans, according to James Ham of CSNBAYAREA.com. A source said that the Kings "grew tired" of Cousins' "constant issues on the court." Divac during a press conference explaining the trade said, “We’re going to play hard, we’re going to play with a lot of fun and improve everyday and try and compete and try to make the playoffs. If not, we’re setting up ourselves in a good place to move forward to make a winning culture.” A source said that the Kings' "entire basketball operations side was part of the discussion on the situation, including head coach Dave Joerger" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 2/20). Divac yesterday "asserted the decision to trade Cousins was his and not subject" to Managing Partner Vivek Ranadive’s approval. In Sacramento, Matt Kawahara notes Divac "invoked the word 'culture' in discussing" his reasons for the move "seven times in the first four minutes of his news conference." Had the Kings kept Cousins, they reportedly were "weighing an extension exceeding" $200M. Divac when asked if that figure played a role in his decision said it "had some part.” Divac: “You want to know what you’re getting into" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 2/21).
HITTING THE RESET BUTTON: In Sacramento, Ailene Voisin in a front-page piece notes the trade of Cousins marks a "complete reboot" of the franchise, something that "probably should have occurred before the team stepped into Golden 1 Center" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 2/21). Also in Sacramento, Jason Jones writes some fans "question whether Divac has the experience and savvy to ... guide the Kings through another rebuilding plan." Others wonder if Ranadive will "allow his front office to make the moves needed to turn around a franchise that has not reached the postseason" since '06. Jones: "The 'Cousins is killing the culture' excuse no longer will fly." The attention is "back on the front office, which has been criticized over three regimes for botching draft picks" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 2/21). Meanwhile, SI.com's Rohan Nadkarni wrote the Kings "more or less insulted their fans by running an amateur operation that wasted years of Cousins’s promising career." Nadkarni: "This is a bad day for the Kings organization, and it could be a long time before it finds another player as talented as Cousins" (SI.com, 2/20). FS1's Chris Broussard: "They're poorly run. You've had Boogie for seven years and you haven't made the playoffs. A lot of that is your fault for bringing coach after coach" ("Undisputed," FS1, 2/20).
BUDDY SYSTEM: THE RINGER's Kevin O'Connor cited a source as saying that Divac "needed a huge haul to get Vivek to sign off (on a different deal)." Pelicans G Buddy Hield is a player Ranadive was "reportedly enamored with" (THERINGER.com, 2/20). ESPN’s Israel Gutierrez said the Kings have an “obsession with the Warriors” and Ranadive thinks Hield "has the potential to be the next Steph Curry." Gutierrez: "If he does, all the more power to him. But if he doesn’t, it just goes to show you that their obsession with the Warriors really influences their decision-making far, far too much” ("Around The Horn,” ESPN, 2/20). CSNBAYAREA.com's Ray Ratto wrote Ranadive's "unhealthy obsession with the Warriors has tinged his decision-making to the point in which he said that Buddy Hield has 'Stephen Curry potential.'" Ranadive "isn’t all that undermines the monarchy, but he is the first truly megawealthy Kings owner to maintain the low standards that have dogged the franchise since the early 1950s" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 2/20).
CHAOS THEORY: CBSSPORTS.com's Matt Moore ranked the winners and losers of the trade and noted Ranadive is the top loser, as he "just looks more chaotic than ever." Moore: "No amount of liking Buddy Hield makes that a good call. Ranadive comes off as an owner who continues to act impulsively and without regard for asset management" (CBSSPORTS.com, 2/20). ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said, "I don't know what the hell is wrong with Ranadive. This is not on Vlade Divac. ... This is the owner forcing his hand to make him do this" ("First Take," ESPN, 2/20). SI.com's Andrew Sharp wrote Ranadive is the "Millennial Ted Stepien." Sharp: "He's incompetent to a degree that was supposed to be impossible in the modern NBA era" (SI.com, 2/20). ESPN's Dan Le Batard said the Kings have the "most dysfunctional management team that we've had since Donald Sterling left the league." Le Batard: "They really don't know what they're doing" ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 2/20). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser called the Kings a "clown show" and said they are the "least relevant franchise in the NBA" ("PTI," ESPN, 2/20). THE RINGER's Riley McAtee noted of all the Kings' moves during the Ranadive Era, "none has been unequivocally 'good.'” The "worst moves have been complete trainwrecks, signs that the organization has no idea what it’s doing." But McAtee noted as a "die-hard, lifelong Kings fan," he has "never been able to be mad at Vivek." McAtee: "Without him there would be no Sacramento Kings" (THERINGER.com, 2/20).
TALKING OUT OF BOTH SIDES OF HIS MOUTH: Divac during his press conference said, "Winning begins with culture and character matters.” In N.Y., Daniel Popper notes given Cousins' "outspoken nature, his run-ins with the media, his numerous technical fouls -- this undoubtedly is a slight from Divac" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/21). SiriusXM Radio's Evan Cohen noted Divac yesterday repeatedly said that he "wants to reset the culture and character" of the franchise. Cohen said, "It seems to be high on the Kings' list of qualities, right? Like the character shown by point guard Darren Collison when he was arrested of domestic violence charges? Like backup point guard Ty Lawson, who has had multiple DUI charges against him? Or former Kings swingman Matt Barnes? Character, Vlade? Boy, this trade is fascinating” (“Time to Schein,” CBSSN, 2/20).
WARNING TO OTHERS: Divac two weeks ago publicly told Cousins he would not be traded this season, and ESPN's Rachel Nichols said, "If I’m a player with options this summer, that kind of bait-and-switch would absolutely matter to me.” Nichols: "Not that Sacramento is a hotbed of free agent destinations to begin with" ("The Jump,” ESPN, 2/20). ESPN's LZ Granderson said, "Not only do they trade him, they screw the dude out of over $30 million. Once you see that, that is toxic to me. I wouldn't want to re-sign with that team for anything in the world” ("SportsNation," ESPN, 2/20).
BOOGIE DOWN IN THE BIG EASY: The New Orleans Advocate's Scott Kushner noted the city "seems pretty abuzz with basketball right now" after the Cousins trade and hosting the NBA All-Star Game last weekend. This is the "biggest trade in franchise history," and Pelicans Senior VP/Basketball Operations & GM Dell Demps cannot be blamed for trading a package highlighted by Hield and a first-round pick "to go give it a shot." Kushner said, "This is the best chance this team is going to have to be relevant on a national stage for a very long time" ("NBA GameTime," NBA TV, 2/20). ESPN's Chris Haynes noted Demps has been in “some hot water over the last couple of years,” but this trade “might have saved his job.” ESPN's Ramona Shelburne said small-market teams like the Pelicans "have to take big swings like this." The Pelicans have been "looking for an impact trade like this for several years now because they know they have got to get a star alongside Anthony Davis” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 2/20).
