DeMarcus Cousins News

First came the $1 million donation toSacramento charitieswhen DeMarcus Cousins signed his four-year, $62 million NBA max deal inSeptember.

On Jan. 29, Gay, the starting small forward for the Memphis Grizzlies, was traded to the Toronto Raptors in a deal largely done to shed his hefty salary.

Last night was a strange one across the Association. Despite 43 from Steph Curry, the Charlotte Bobcats upset the Golden State Warriors , the Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards played an awful game that ended 75-74, and DeMarcus Cousins dropped 32 points and 19 rebounds to lead the new-look Kings over the Dallas Mavericks .

I contend that the Mavs, ultimately, cannot get to where they think they're going without him as a center who blocks shots, who rebounds, who patrols the paint and who at least plays.

Charles Barkley swung by the Dan Patrick Show on Monday and together they sounded like grumpy old men telling you how basketball isn't as good now as it was when they were fans of the sport.

The Mavericks once again find themselves without a set starting lineup. Dallas was crushed my Sacramento on Monday night and Samuel Dalembert was no where to be found.

THE Sacramento Kings showed on Monday night that they are an NBA team not to be slept on the rest of the season beating Dallas even before the arrival of the traded-for Rudy Gay.

DeMarcus Cousins had 32 points and 19 rebounds, and Derrick Williams scored a career-high 31 to pace the Sacramento Kings to a 112-97 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.

A pretty crazy trade went down over the weekend involving the Kings and Raptors ... and in a way the Nuggets, too.

As long as Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins can avoid punching each other out for control of the basketball, Gay's fantasy value should remain exactly the same after being traded from the Toronto Raptors to the Sacramento Kings Sunday night.

I hate being away from Basketball Twitter when trades go down. It's such a missed opportunity to see intense overreaction and self-preservation from people you're mildly interested in on the internet.

Getting Rudy Gay in a trade from Toronto was not a sign the Kings want to make a run at the playoffs right now in the West - they are one of just two teams in a deep conference with no real shot at the postseason .

The Kings have found themselves in a lot of close games. Now they have to start winning them.

Dallas is coming off its most impressive win of the season, a 108-106 victory Saturday night in Portland.

Nov 29, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Rudy Gay carries the ball past Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers at the Air Canada Centre.

The Toronto Raptors have agreed to send small forward Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings in a seven-player deal, a person with knowledge of the trade confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

This article is based, in part, on interviews inside and outside the organization, mostly with people who prefer to remain anonymous.

It was battle between two of the NBA 's worst teams as the Utah Jazz played host to the Sacramento Kings .

On Saturday night as the Sacramento Kings took on the lowly Utah Jazz in a battle of two teams with two of the worst records in the NBA early in the season.

"I wasn't having flashbacks but the players were," said Kings coach Michael Malone.