Getting traded can be awkward enough for an NBA player. Finding out minutes after playing in the All-Star Game in the city you’re being traded to is another level entirely. Just ask DeMarcus Cousins.
The then-Sacramento Kings All-Star big man had just represented the Western Conference at the All-Star Game in New Orleans when he found out he was being shipped to the Pelicans. It was a geographically convenient development, but it left Boogie in emotional shambles.
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DMC’s unrealized goals
The Kings drafted Cousins fifth overall in the 2010 NBA Draft. You could say it was a steal to nab such a talent at No. 5, especially knowing that the guys selected between him and John Wall were Evan Turner, Derrick Favors, and Wesley Johnson.
It quickly became clear that Boogie had a case to be the best individual player in that class. He was instantly a double-double machine and even led the NBA in offensive rebounds per game (4.1) in just his second season.
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By his fifth year, Cousins belonged in the conversation as the best big man in the Association. He essentially averaged 24/13/4 with 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocks in 2014-15. The 6’10” big man made his first All-Star Game and was voted into the All-NBA Second Team.
However, despite the mind-boggling numbers, the Kings were never in playoff contention all those years. Boogie felt he had a chance to lead Sacramento to its first postseason berth in 11 seasons, but the trade squashed that goal like a bug.
“The PR guy at the time whispered over in my ear and let me know that I had been traded,” Cousins recalled on “NBA Take Two Media.” “I was super upset. My goal was always to try to get the Kings to the playoffs. I wanted to be the guy that do that for ’em.”
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And that’s where things got awkward and ironic. The media asked Boogie if he wanted to play more in the ASG since he logged in for only over two minutes. It was the lowest of anyone who saw action for both conferences. Cousins didn’t want to play much because he wanted his body to recuperate for the second half of the season. As far as he could remember, the Kings were at least 1.5 games away from the final playoff spot.
Boogie’s memory was spot on. The Kings held a 24-33 record before the midseason break, which was, you guessed it, 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for that final playoff spot. In DMC’s mind, they could’ve gotten the job done if the Sacramento brass had let him finish what he started.
But the heartache didn’t stop there. Boogie remembered that the Kings’ front office promised not to trade him, not to mention a handshake agreement for an extension.
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“It was a lot of foul play behind the scenes. I think that’s why they traded us because if we made the playoffs that year, it makes it that much harder of a decision to ship me off or whatever the case may be. I just the timing of it was pretty ironic,” he added.
In a world of hurt
Cousins had the luxury of hindsight on the matter, but you can see how hard it was to accept that trade. He was blindsided by the franchise that he thought had his best interests in mind. If he’s still hurt by what happened almost 10 years ago, can you imagine what Boogie felt days after the trade was completed?
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“I haven’t cried in a long time. It just broke me down. It hit me like, ‘This s— is really happening.’ It was something that I never expected to happen. I was also told [a trade] wouldn’t happen, so … It just hit. I just walked in, and people started cheering. Something overcame me and I just broke down,” Cousins told Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
Coincidentally, physical pain followed almost immediately. Cousins tore his Achilles tendon in the 2017-18 season, practically ending his elite years in the league. He played for a couple of seasons with multiple teams before calling it quits in 2022.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Sep 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.