Vlade Divac elaborated on the Sacramento Kings' decision to trade away DeMarcus Cousins last week to the New Orleans Pelicans.

"It was a lot of things, but basically, I thought it was time to start over," said Diavac. "There was a lot of bad stuff happening here the last five years, a lot of bad habits. There were always issues, many you don’t even know about. Now I believe strongly this was the right thing to do for our future. Now I have a clear vision. This city deserves better, and I want to create that. With DeMarcus’ situation, I basically was stuck."

Divac was then asked what he meant by being "stuck".

"Maybe we're going to win a few more games than last year but probably not make the playoffs. Then where are we? Same old place. And we have that contract to deal with. If we keep DeMarcus this summer, we have to extend him, or otherwise he would be on an expiring contract that everyone would be afraid of. Teams don’t trade a lot for a player they aren’t sure will re-sign with you. And if he extended, we couldn’t sign him for an entire year anyway."

Divac also expanded upon his remark that he had a better offer a few days before they agreed upon the one that was completed.

"When I was first talking with the Pelicans, it was about Buddy (Hield) and two first-round picks. I talked to DeMarcus’ agents (Dan Fegan and Jarinn Akana) to inform them we were having talks, negotiating terms, and they called teams and threatened them, saying that if Cousins was traded, he would not sign an extension. (Only the Kings could offer a fifth year, at a higher percentage of salary cap, because of Cousins’ designated veteran status.) They got scared and dropped it down to a second-round pick. I thought if I waited longer, I would get less. I needed to act."

The Sacramento Kings plan on signing Bogdan Bogdanovic in the offseason.

The Kings acquired the draft rights to Bogdanovic from the Phoenix Suns at the 2016 draft. Bogdanovic was the 27th overall pick in the 2014 draft by the Phoenix Suns.

Bogdanovic is a 24-year-old shooting guard presently playing with Fenerbahce.

Vlade Divac confirmed Sacramento's plans when talking about the Kings' culture.

"I want to build a culture, and he didn’t fit in my culture," said Divac. "Before we were just talking, preaching. But if we’re going to do it, you do it. The good thing about our situation now is that we have some very nice assets, a few more shooting guards, and time to take a look at Willie (Cauley-Stein), Skal (Labissiere) and Malachi (Richardson) when he gets healthy, and Georgios Papagiannis. Ty Lawson has been very good for us, and Darren (Collison) is playing well, and he will be a free agent. Kosta (Koufas) has been good. We have (Bogdan) Bogdanovic coming over next season as another asset."

Omri Casspi has been diagnosed with a right thumb fracture and will be sidelined 4-6 weeks. The injury occurred in the second half of New Orleans’ game against Houston on Thursday.

Casspi, 6-9, 225, was acquired from Sacramento along with DeMarcus Cousins on February 20. In his Pelicans debut, Casspi recorded 12 points and two rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.

Casspi has appeared in 23 total games this season, averaging 6.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18.3 minutes per contest.

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.’"

The Sacramento Kings are widely expected to trade Arron Afflalo by the deadline.

Afflalo signed a two-year, $25 million deal with the Kings in the offseason, but the Kings are now pivoting towards a rebuild following the trade of DeMarcus Cousins.

The Philadelphia 76ers have had discussions with 10 or 11 teams on a trade for Jahlil Okafor.

The New Orleans Pelicans, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and Chicago Bulls were teams that had expressed some interest but the Bulls and Nuggets are no longer interested while the Blazers and Pelicans have made trades for centers.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings are possible trading partners for Okafor.

“I’m happy here,” Okafor said when asked if he wants a new start with a different team. “I’ve been here. This is all I know as far as the NBA goes. I’ve gotten real comfortable with the coaches, and my teammates. If I’m here, I’d be more than happy.”

DeMarcus Cousins was introduced as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

"Sunday was a wild day," Cousins said. "Just a lot of mixed emotions. It was very unexpected. I sat in the airport for a minute, and my mind was racing. I didn't know what to think. I've tried to understand the situation.

"Basically what I came to is this is a business. I'm not sour, I'm not mad, I don't have any ill feelings. This is a business. These types of things happen. I'm comfortable with it. I'm in a good place. Like I said, I'm ready to get to work."

Vlade Divac publicly said the Kings wouldn't trade Cousins just a few weeks before dealing him to the Pelicans.

"I haven't talked to anybody," Cousins said. "Vlade, he tried to call after everything was done. But ... it's done."

Cousins is looking forward to partnering with Anthony Davis.

"Got a little fire. Got a little ice," Cousins said of Davis. "We can wreak havoc on this league. Will it happen overnight? Probably not. But the potential is scary."

Davis described Cousins as his "big brother," and someone he depends on.

"I'm more like relaxed and he's more like ... he's DeMarcus," Davis said. "Maybe when he's on the floor, I can get, like, hyped up. Or situations come around that I need to be like, 'All right, calm down.' But it's kind of like what we need. Kind of like a perfect balance."

Cousins and Davis tried to recruit each other the last time they faced off on Feb. 12.

"I was trying to get him on my side. He was trying to get me to New Orleans," Cousins said. "I said, 'We're going to talk; We're going to talk in the summer.'

"I was never going to Sacramento," Davis said.

Said Cousins: "But AD sent me a text like, 'I really want you to come to New Orleans,' and I kind of ignored him because I didn't know how to answer. Then I ran into Dell and this is like, 'What the hell is going on here?' Then, Sunday night, I'm a Pelican. So, I've gotten all of the signs. I guess I wasn't paying attention. But all of the signs were there. And it happened."

The Sacramento Kings perhaps prematurely found a deal for DeMarcus Cousins with the New Orleans Pelicans before they could allow his market to materialize. 

"They had a set number of teams that they sort of reconnected with in the last 72 hours of the deal," said Wojnarowski. "They sort of went back to the list of any team that had ever reached out to them. Teams that who had reached out to them in the past, they reconnected with to see 'will you raise the most recent offer to us, or is there more you want to do, are you interested?'

"Now there were other teams they had talked to in passing, who (said) 'I wish I knew this was going on.'

"They didn't know until we reported it Sunday night that they were this close to a deal. There were a couple of teams who did try to reach out and some who felt at this point the deal was done and didn't reach out, but thought 'okay, Sac already has their deal.'"

Wojnarowski also reported Vlade Divac has been difficult for teams to reach on the phone and that it has been assistant GM Ken Cantenella who has become the Kings' point man for rival teams to contact. During All-Star weekend, Divac was able to meet face-to-face with Dell Demps at the Pelicans' practice facility and Wojnarowski believes that convenience played a role in trade getting done.

Vlade Divac included the entire basketball operations side of the Sacramento Kings, including Dave Joerger, when it came to discussing whether to keep or trade DeMarcus Cousins.

“I wouldn’t do it if I don’t feel comfortable,” Divac said. “Now we have a clear direction (of) what we want to do. I wouldn’t make a deal if I don’t feel comfortable.”

After telling Cousins on Feb. 2nd that he wouldn't be traded, he then picked up his 14th technical foul two days later in an overtime win over the Warriors. Cousins also was fined $25,000 by the NBA for making an inappropriate statement and gesture toward a Warriors' fan in the tunnel.

Cousins then picked up his 15th and 16th technicals against the Bulls and was suspended for the Kings' game against the Celtics that the team actually won without him.

Those series of events helped set in motion their decision to trade Cousins.

DeMarcus Cousins spoke to the media on Tuesday before his flight from Sacramento to New Orleans.

Cousins was asked if he regrets anything that happened while with the Sacramento Kings.

"I mean I think everyone does that throughout life, but at the same I don't regret anything," said Cousins. "Everything I've been through has helped me grow as a person. I'm good. I'm in a good place. I learn from my mistakes."

Cousins was also asked about the negative reference about him in the Kings' press release and in media reports.

"I'm okay with it. I kind of expected it. I've seen this before, I'm moving on."

Cousins was finally asked for his message to the fans of Sacramento.

"I have nothing but love for you," said Cousins. "Thank you for all of the memories. Thanks for dealing with this knucklehead for six plus years. I'll see you guys soon."

Cousins never wanted to leave the Kings and figures to receive a warm welcome when he returns to Sacramento.