Halo

In an interview released Friday, New Orleans Pelicans big man DeMarcus Cousins was critical of the Sacramento Kings and the manner in which they handled his trade.

When asked by Marc J. Spears of ESPN's The Undefeated if he has spoken to Kings owner Vivek Ranadive or general manager Vlade Divac since being sent to New Orleans on Monday, Cousins responded negatively:

Nah. For what? It was a coward move, so I'm pretty sure I will get a coward response. For what? And I've seen this happen before. I've been there through all [the] same types ... I was there with [coach] Mike Malone's [firing]. I've seen how they operate. I know what kind of answer I will get anyway. So, what is the point?

The Cousins deal came just two weeks after Divac publicly said the Kings were not going to trade their All-Star center, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

According to Spears, Cousins explained that the Kings brass made it seem as though he was there to stay over the long haul:

The sick part about it is that Vlade came in my house with my agent [Jarinn Akana]. We sat in my theater and just talked. That was maybe three weeks ago. We sat there and [he] told me what moves he wanted to make. All of that. I just didn't understand.

I got a text from the owner right before I went to All-Star. He was asking me about a player, how I felt about him and making a move. The owner! When it happened, I was just in shock. I didn't understand.

The 26-year-old former Kentucky standout appeared in his first game for the Pels since the deal Thursday night, and he performed well to the tune of 27 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, five steals and four blocks.

New Orleans fell 129-99 to the Houston Rockets, but Cousins stressed to Spears that the team jelling will take time as it attempts to make a run at a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Read more New Orleans Pelicans news on BleacherReport.com



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