Evening News: Kings start negotiations with Cousins; Nets ink Anderson; Nuggets re-sign Mozgov

Hello and welcome to the Evening News.

As the offseason continues, we’ll keep you updated every evening.

What’s happening today?

Kings begin extension talks with Cousins

According to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, the Kings will begin negotiations on a contract extension with DeMarcus Cousins in the coming days. 

The volatile Cousins averaged 17.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game last season. Although he has had several run-ins with media members and former coaches, the 22-year-old’s enormous potential makes him a likely candidate for the Kings’ five year, $80 million dollar extension.

Cousins currrently has a strong rapport with Vivek Ranadive and the rest of Sacramento’s new ownership group.

He is represented by Dan Fegan, the same agent who is currently working on a similar extension for fellow Kentucky standout John Wall.

New Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro is optimistic that Cousins’ time with the USA Select Team will help him grow both on and off the court:

“I think to put a young player in this situation with this level of talent, I think that’s a contagious thing and that’s a thing you want your young guys around,” D’Alessandro said. “… I think great players, they want to be around great players. And that’s what DeMarcus aspires to be as well.”

Nets add Alan Anderson

The Brooklyn Nets have added yet another quality rotation player to their already deep bench in Alan Anderson:

Free agent forward Alan Anderson is finalizing an agreement with the Brooklyn Nets, league source tells Y! Sports.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 26, 2013

The former Michigan State Spartan had a career year with the Toronto Raptors in 2012-2013. He averaged 10.7 points in 65 games.

Originally undrafted in 2005, Anderson signed with the Bobcats as a free agent in 2005 and played in Charlotte until 2007. From 2007-2010, Anderson bounced around overseas. He has starred for teams in Italy, Russia, Croatia, Spain, and Israel.

The 30-year-old is known for his strong perimeter defense and has developed a reputation as a streaky three point threat.

At the very least, Anderson adds another competitive Knick-foe to the Nets’ locker room. In his two best games against New York last season, Anderson scored 35 and 26 points, respectively.

Nuggets re-sign Mozgov

Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski also reports that the Denver Nuggets have finally come to terms on a contract extension with restricted free agent Timofey Mozgov. 

Mozgov will reportedly get a three year deal worth approximately $14 million. While Mozgov’s offensive skills are forgettable, he is a true 7-footer with a strong defensive presence.

After the Nuggets traded last year’s starting center Kosta Koufos to Memphis on draft night, they made re-signing Mozgov a priority for the summer.

When Mozgov receives minutes, he produces fairly effective numbers. After a strong 2011-2012 season in which he averaged 5.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in just 15.6 minutes per game, he saw an explainable drop off in production as his minutes dwindled.