Former Kings C DeMarcus Cousins Urges Trae Young to Request Trade
Things have really yet to go the Atlanta Hawks' way so far into 2024. They’ve started this season with a 16-23 record, good for only 11th in the Eastern Conference. Rumors continue to swirl surrounding this team, potentially shipping off all of their surrounding talent. And, even if they wanted to rebuild, two of their future unprotected first-round picks sit in the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.
I guess it could always be worse, but not by much.
On top of all of that, now we’re beginning to see some around the NBA world advocate for the Hawks’ star guard, Trae Young, to request out of Atlanta, headlined by former Sacramento Kings All-Star, DeMarcus Cousins.
Cousins was recently a guest on All The Smoke Podcast, where he unleashed a controversial take on Young needing to seek a way out of Atlanta, noting that he knows how these situations go “from experience”:
“If I’m Trae Young, I’m getting out as soon as I can. If I’m Trae Young, I’d get ahead of the curve. The situation I’m afraid of with Trae Young is he’ll remain there too long. Then, all of a sudden, he becomes the villain. He’s the scapegoat. I know from experience, and I know how these organizations work. Once things start to crumble, once things start to fail, the blame game starts.
Boogie spent six and a half seasons in Sacramento, where he went on to secure three All-Star appearances and two All-NBA selections. While Cousins was a top talent at his position during his time with the Kings, the success in the win-loss column never quite came for the team, unable to finish a season above the .500 mark during his stint.
Cousins continues to detail his belief of how things could go wrong in Atlanta if Young ultimately decides to ride it out:
"It usually starts with the coach first, then it’s the players, and then on and so forth. So, obviously, they moved on from a coach, and they’ve now brought in Quin Snyder. A pretty established guy in this league. The politics come into play, and like I said, once this thing starts to crumble, it’s going to be Trae Young’s fault, and that’s when that whole game starts."
As a player who has previously sat in a similar situation, Boogie is one of the better people to ask on the subject. Cousins dealt with a great amount of controversy during his time in Sacramento, notably some coaching issues involving George Karl, along with an unstable front office that ultimately sent him off to the New Orleans Pelicans via trade in 2017.
There has yet to be any serious traction on a trade involving Young, but is it that far out of the question? Atlanta has seemed to be on a downward spiral since their 2021 Eastern Conference Finals run, and there isn’t a sure-fire path for the Hawks to make any drastic improvements anytime soon.
It would be difficult for Young to have leverage in any trade request, considering he is signed to a four-year, max contract that spans until the summer of 2027. But, if the Hawks wanted to enter a total reset in an attempt to get the franchise back on track, trading your former All-NBA guard would certainly be a way to do so.
At a young 25 years of age, there’s still time to turn things around in Atlanta for Young. However, if he decides six seasons with only one Conference Finals appearance isn’t enough to will him to stay, a blockbuster move may be on the horizon for the Hawks.
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