The ebb and flow of trade discussions is beginning to wax for DeMarcus Cousins. With rumors about Rudy Gay beginning to pick up, Cousins is going to the back of the line as far as media interest goes — then again Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has been awfully quiet lately…
Cousins trade interest should pick up again though if he continues to play well and teams forget the attitude outburst he had last week. Really Cousins has done a good job rebuilding that value and reminding us he is a young, near-All-Star player.
Since his suspension (entering Thursday's game against Dallas), Cousins is averaging 19.3 points per game and 12.7 rebounds per game. He has failed to record a double double in just one of those seven games. On the year, he is posting 17.2 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game. So his numbers have increased as Cousins seems to have something to prove.
Whether that will continue as Sacramento moves further through this season — and perhaps falls further down the standings, having gone 2-5 since Cousins' return — is another question. Cousins always seems a moment away from another blowup.
The question is twofold when it comes to Cousins: Does Sacramento still see him as part of its future (wherever that might be)? And what do other teams see from Cousins and what are they willing to give up for him?
It seems from the trickle of reports coming out about Cousins have stopped as teams wait to see what he does next and whether he is worth the risk of bringin in.
The Celtics and Pistons were among the teams reported to have interest in Cousins, but both teams — particularly the Pistons — have cooled off on their interest recently. The reports that the Celtics were close to making a deal were proved to be false. The Magic, the Bobcats and the Mavericks were also attached to Cousins, but the Magic denied any interest and all the other rumors have petered out, as they tend to do.
Sam Amick of USA Today even reported that teams are being told Cousins is not available. That coudl be a sign Sacramento is not happy with what is being offered more than the team's interest in moving him. Or it could be a genuine leak stating Cousins is part of the Kings' future.
There is still an aura of uncertainty about Cousins and where he will end up. The best thing he can do — whether he gets traded or not — is play and play well. That, at least, it seems he can do for the most part.
