DeMarcus Cousins was told a week before he was traded by the Sacramento Kings to the New Orleans Pelicans that he wouldn't be dealt.

"A week before the trade," said Cousins when asked when he wouldn't be traded. "The sick part about it is that Vlade (Divac) 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 (Vivek Ranadive) 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."

Cousins first heard about the trade rumors before the All-Star game.

"I heard the rumors before the game. But I’ve heard rumors the last four years about me being traded. It was like, ‘Whatever.’ When they sat me down with the media after the game, my PR guy at the time [Chris Clark] said, ‘There is serious talk about you possibly being moved.’"