DeMarcus Cousins delivered a brief, emotional speech Monday night at what appeared to be a going-away party following his trade from the Sacramento Kings to the New Orleans Pelicans.

"My love for this city has never changed," he said, his voice wavering. He turned from the crowd and appeared to be choked up. "My love for this city has never changed. Even though I'm gone, it'll still be the same. You know, I'm still lookin' out for these kids. Every family in this city matters to me; every soul in this city matters to me. Everything's the same. I'm just not in a Kings uniform anymore, which is OK, because, you know, the love is still here. It's still gonna go on."

My friend got transferred to another city because of his job. He had some things to say. Rough to watch. pic.twitter.com/iBRyMf1UP7

— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) February 21, 2017

The teams announced Monday afternoon that the Kings had sent Cousins and swingman Omri Casspi to the Pelicans in exchange for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, a 2017 first-round pick and a 2017 second-rounder. The surprising move came just two weeks after the Kings publicly proclaimed that the All-Star center was off the market.

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