Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac spent Monday explaining his decision to send DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans.
As the team announced, the Kings received Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and two draft picks in exchange for Cousins and Omri Casspi.
"It was time for a change and I decided this was the best direction for the organization," Divac said in the release. "Winning begins with culture and character matters. With the upcoming draft class set to be one of the strongest in a decade, this trade will allow us to build the depth needed for a talented and developing roster moving forward. We thank DeMarcus for his contributions and wish him all the best in New Orleans. The fans in Sacramento are the best in the world and we are all committed to building a team that will continue to make Sacramento proud."
In a Monday press conference, Divac noted the package from the Pelicans was the "best offer" the team had:
However, he also claimed the team had a better offer two days earlier before saying, "I don't want to discuss in details about the process," per Tim Cato of SB Nation.
When asked why he completed the deal now, Divac responded, "We'd probably lose value if we waited," per Carmichael Dave of KHTK. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported the Kings were not responding to other teams interested in a potential Cousins deal Sunday night once negotiations with New Orleans escalated.
The NBA trade deadline isn't until Thursday, Feb. 23, while Cousins remains under contract through the 2017-18 season.
Sam Vecenie of Sporting News questioned another portion of Divac's statement:
Cousins appeared in his third-straight All-Star Game Sunday night and is in the midst of the best statistical season of his career with averages of 27.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. The 26-year-old will now pair with Anthony Davis on the Pelicans to form one of the top big-man duos in recent memory.
Meanwhile, the Kings, who haven't reached the postseason since 2006, are headed toward another rebuild.