DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Kings haven't been a perfect marriage.
Despite Cousins putting up All-Star numbers since his second season in the NBA, the Kings have remained dysfunctional and Cousins hasn't been quiet about his displeasure.
For those and many other reasons, there is an increasing belief around the NBA that Cousins will not be with the Kings long-term. He'll become a free agent in the summer of 2018, and one league executive believes he'll leave then for sure if he isn't traded beforehand.
Via Zach Harper of CBS Sports:
In the process, there is a cloud of drama and the seemingly inevitability hanging over the franchise’s head. Many people around the NBA expect Cousins to leave Sacramento when he becomes a free agent in 2018. “They’re fooling themselves if they think he’s sticking around,” said one league executive. “The good news for them is his value will always be high. There isn’t a point of no return in which you’re not getting high value for him. Teams will bid against each other in the trade market. Maybe [Cousins] doesn’t go for the biggest money in free agency but you’d love to have that card to play.”
The good news for the Kings, as Harper notes here, is that even if teams believe Cousins' departure from Sacramento is inevitable, his trade value shouldn't suffer too much. He's currently the most prolific offensive center in the NBA, which should make for a bidding war in the trade and free agent markets.
With his free agency two seasons away, it does still give the Kings time to make things right and prevent Cousins from eventually leaving. It always feels like the franchise is so very far away from accomplishing this, however, but at least time is still on its side. For now anyway.
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