Willie Cauley-Stein was put in the awkward position of being the next coming after Sacramento Kings franchise star DeMarcus Cousins was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in Feb. 2017. The new Golden State Warriors center made progress with increased minutes but often saw his social media loaded with complaints about his inconsistency and lack of blocked shots, despite standing at a towering 7 feet.
Some other critiques turned personal, as fans pointed to Instagram photos of Cauley-Stein’s street art and his fashion choices as evidence that he didn’t love the sport he was being paid to play
“It was like all of the mistakes of the team were being put on me,” Cauley-Stein told Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle. “That’s how I feel, like I was a scapegoat for everything. That s*** was tough.”
To compound that issue, Kings general manager issued an ultimatum: either he blossomed into the consistent double-double center he looked for, or it was time to move on.
Sacramento offered Cauley-Stein a deal in the summer, but he soon turned that down, knowing the Kings didn't want to commit to him long-term and could possibly flip him by the trade deadline.
The big man ultimately chose to leave his home of four years behind for a one-year deal with the Warriors, which has made him the starting center after missing all of the preseason and the first few games of the regular season, finally getting a fresh start.
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