DeMarcus Cousins on Trae Young: 'I hope this is the last time we see him in a Hawks uniform'

Nichols and Cousins talked about the idea of Young being traded to the Spurs and pairing up with budding superstar Victor Wembanyama: “It’s a match made in heaven, it just makes sense. This Hawks team is not doing anything for his talent. I take it personal because I was in that situation once and hopefully this offseason, this is the season where he puts his foot down and uses his power and move to a situation that is going to be healthy for him.” -via Sports Illustrated / February 27, 2024

Do you have hopes of making a return to the NBA in the near future? DeMarcus Cousins: Honestly, no. I know I’ve had my time there. You know, there was a point where I was trying to make that happen. But the place I’m in my life now, just with everything I’ve got going on, just outside of basketball, like I’m in a good place. So, like I said, I’m excited for what I have ahead and my future. You know, my 12 years in the league were a small chapter or chapters in my life. And, I’m ready to move on to the next and see what’s in store for me. -via HoopsHype / February 23, 2024

Who was like the hardest person to guard in your career? DeMarcus Cousins: I came in the era where, when I entered, it was still two bigs in the post type, you know? So, like I said, I’m right on the cusp of the old-school ball to the new-school ball. I’ve kind of seen both sides of it, and man, there are so many talented guys. I mean, there are more guys that don’t even get the recognition. Now, [Al] Jefferson, Chris Kaman, and Marc Gasol, players of that nature, didn’t have the opportunity to play against guys like Zion [Williamson] and things like that. But I would say, for me, Anthony Davis has always been a guy that I’ve been a huge fan of, you know, his younger days in New Orleans, and we had a lot of battles. Anthony Davis is a guy that doesn’t always get respect from media. Blake Griffin in his days was a special, special player. So, I enjoyed the battles against him. Z-Bo [Zach Randolph], one of my favorites. I took a lot from his game. Like I said earlier, I wasn’t the most athletic guy. So, just learning how to use your body and create angles, and you know, make the game easy. -via HoopsHype / February 23, 2024

There has been some speculation that Nick Ressler, the son of Atlanta Hawks owner Anthony Ressler, would not allow general manager Landry Fields to trade Trae Young if he wanted to, but Brian Windhorst’s recent reporting suggests otherwise. “It’s my understanding that assurances have been given that Landry Fields is the person who is getting to make those decisions,” Windhorst said when asked about the matter on his podcast. “I know that was an issue with the Dejounte Murray trade. that Travis Schlenk the previous general manager did not, was not in favor of that trade, and basically didn’t do the negotiation that led to him eventually leaving midway through the season. I have been told and assured that is no longer the case, Landry is in complete and total control. Obviously Tony Ressler the owner get to sign off on all that stuff but, those words could be proven not correct down the line but that’s the way it’s been described to me.” -via Clutch Points / February 26, 2024

Shams Charania: Atlanta Hawks say All-Star Trae Young will undergo surgery to repair a ligament tear in fifth finger of left hand and will be re-evaluated in four weeks. -via Twitter @ShamsCharania / February 25, 2024