The Sacramento Kings talked about a DeMarcus Cousins trade with the LA Lakers this summer, but that deal is looking unlikely heading into August and this comes as the Kings may consider adding Reggie Evans on a free agent deal to return to the team after signing Seth Curry to a contract to be the backup for Rajon Rondo at point guard with Darren Collison.
The Kings were mentioned early in the summer in trade rumors regarding Cousins, as reports had head coach George Karl looking to trade the big man. The front office and ownership did not want to trade the franchise center, but they let his agent look for a deal and the Lakers appeared to be the best partner. Yahoo Sports reported that the two sides exchanged a framework about a potential deal, but the trade never came close to happening.
At this point in the summer the trade talk has died down and it appears that Cousins will be with the Kings for the immediate future. While that seems likely, Jason Jones at the Sacramento Bee reports that a Cousins trade "remains on the table" and could be "in play" for the season if the Kings are major disappointments again. The team pushed in free agency to sign Wes Matthews and missed out, but they were active and added Rajon Rondo, Caron Butler and Marco Belinelli while keeping Omri Casspi. According to Sheridan Hoops, the Kings are interested in bringing back Evans on a contract. The site reports that Cousins and Evans have a good relationship and that Cousins is a "big fan" of Evans and hopes that he returns.
The team is expecting to improve with Karl coming in and while reports have Karl saying that he is expecting to mend his relationship with Cousins, there is always a chance the front office changes their minds at the deadline. Cousins will continue to be mentioned in trade talks until the Kings show some real progress and after all the talk this summer, expect the Lakers to continue keeping tabs on the situation. Past a Cousins trade though, the Kings are expecting to be better this season and Karl said that he thinks this roster can compete for a playoff spot in the west.
According to Marc Stein at ESPN, Seth Curry signed a two year deal with the Sacramento Kings this offseason. Curry now will serve as a backup for Rajon Rondo and Darren Collison and he could end up as the main backup if he looks good in camp and if Collison is not healthy after surgery. The Kings were interested all offseason in adding another guard and the team reportedly had interest in Andre Miller. Adding Curry likely ends that and it comes after he played well in the Summer League for the Pelicans.
Curry comes in after averaging 24.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.2 steals in six games and that was enough for the Kings. Curry also reportedly has a player option in the deal, as Sean Cunningham reports that the first season is fully guaranteed and the second year has an option for Curry and not the team.
Check here for more on the potential for a Cousins trade, the signing of Seth Curry and more on Evans and the free agent market.
