One influential person weighed in on DeMarcus Cousins leaving no doubt as to where he believes the first time All-Star center belongs.

“DeMarcus plays extremely hard . . . and he knows where his heart lies and it’s Sacramento,” Kings point guard Darren Collison told Jay Mohr on Fox Sports Radio on Wednesday. “All the other stuff . . . is just talk.”

There have been multiple media reports that the Boston Celtics will take a hard run at Cousins with a bevy of draft picks as trade bait for Sacramento. However, my league sources have indicated the Kings are not interested in dealing with Boston.

Collison’s season ended prematurely on February 5, suffering a core muscle injury in a loss to Dallas that ultimately required surgery.

Despite not playing for George Karl, who took over the Kings coaching reigns at the All-Star break, the 27-year-old is sanguine about next season.

“I think we have a good team,” Collison added on Fox Sports Radio. “We’re all excited about the year coming up. We just got to ignore that (Cousins trade talk).

“The best way to close the noise is just to win games and I think we’ll be in good shape for that next year.”

Collison also lauded Kings fans and longs for the playoffs to return to California’s capital city.

“I can only imagine once we start winning and if we get a chance to get in playoffs, how they (Kings fans) will act,” Collison added. “I just can’t wait because that’s one of the most exciting things about Sacramento, their fans.”





