Lakers Trade Rumors: Kings have 'zero interest' in trading DeMarcus Cousins

On the heels of a Monday afternoon report that the Lakers were 'actively pursuing' a trade for Sacramento Kings' center DeMarcus Cousins, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive issued a strong public denial to USA Today's Sam Amick. "We have zero interest in moving Cousins, so I don't know where that's coming from," Ranadive told Amick when asked about the rumored transaction.

Interestingly enough, Amick did report that a continued marriage between Cousins and the Kings is not necessarily a mutual desire:

According to a person with knowledge of the situation, Cousins' camp is clearly in favor of him heading south to the Kings' old Pacific Division rival. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the situation. Truth be told, the tone of this tale shouldn't surprise anyone who has been watching this unfold these past four months.

However disgruntled Cousins or his camp is with the Kings, he is under contract until the summer of 2018, and it would appear that Sacramento has little incentive to move their franchise cornerstone. The Lakers may very well want to trade for Cousins, but with Sacramento so publicly adamant about keeping him, it looks like this will just be the latest unconsummated trade rumor involving the purple and gold.