The Sacramento Kings plan to waive veteran forward Matt Barnes to create the necessary roster room to complete their DeMarcus Cousins trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN that the Kings are expected to release Barnes later Monday because they need an extra roster spot to take in the three players they’re acquiring from the Pelicans in the Cousins deal — Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans and Langston Galloway.
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Sources: Kings agree to deal Cousins to Pelicans
The Kings have agreed to trade DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans in exchange for a package highlighted by Buddy Hield, a 2017 first-round pick and a 2017 second-rounder, sources told ESPN.
The Kings have agreed to trade DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans in exchange for a package highlighted by Buddy Hield, a 2017 first-round pick and a 2017 second-rounder, sources told ESPN.
Sources say that the Kings and Pelicans agreed to the blockbuster deal Sunday, which will send Cousins and swingman Omri Casspi to New Orleans in exchange for New Orleans’ 2017 first-round pick (top-three protected) and a 2017 second-rounder via Philadelphia in addition to Hield, Evans and Galloway.
Barnes’ future with Sacramento has been considered tenuous since an incident this past December at a Manhattan nightclub after a loss by the Kings in New York.
Barnes, who has racked up nearly $400,000 in fines from the NBA since 2011, faces misdemeanor assault charges pending in New York City as a result of the altercation. A related civil suit has been filed against Barnes and Cousins in a New York District Court.
Cousins was cleared of any wrongdoing and will not face charges following an NYPD investigation that concluded last week.
Barnes, who grew up in Sacramento, was in the first year of a two-year deal worth $12.5 million and is known to be a favorite of Kings coach Dave Joerger after their time together in Memphis.
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