We begin our Saturday edition of Odds & Ends with the outrageous statement given by former Sacramento Kings and current Vegas Golden Knights part owner Gavin Maloof.

The disgraced owner, who owned the team with his family from 1998 to 2013 gave an interview with TMZ and was asked about the trade of former King DeMarcus Cousins, who was sent to the New Orleans Pelicans at the All-Star break in exchange for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans,and Langston Galloway.

He was asked if he would’ve traded the three-time All-Star, here’s what he had to say.

“No, no way,” Maloof said. “Time will tell, but I don’t think they got much in return for him.”

He also added that he feels his former team will be alright after the trade,but said that it takes a long time to rebuild.

The Sacramento Kings finished with a 32-50 record and have the fifth and 10th picks in the first round of the NBA Draft,which will be held on Jun. 22.

Honestly, I don’t really care much about what this guy has to say in regards to anything surrounding the Sacramento Kings. Here’s a guy who,along with his family, helped to bring this team to it’s current demise by trying everything they could to move this team to destinations such as Seattle,Virginia Beach,and Anaheim and weren’t able to get an arena deal that they wanted. Not only that,but towards the end of their ownership, they didn’t give a damn about what the fans wanted or even putting a winning product together.

Also,I call bullshit on that statement that he wouldn’t have traded him. My ass! The outgoing front office hinted at the incoming one that they may need to do something about Cousins in the future because he’s not really a guy you can build a winning team around. Now that’s not to say that this was something Maloof would’ve said,but the front office that worked under him on their way out the door certainly did.

I honestly do not miss this guy and his family whatsoever. I do wish their new ownership venture in Las Vegas well,but I hope they never buy (or get involved with) an NBA team ever again because it’ll be a failure.

Speaking of the Kings,they actually had some good fortune come their way by way of the NBA Draft Lottery. They will be selecting fifth and 10th in next month’s draft as mentioned in the previous segment.

There is a lot of talent in this draft that GM Vlade Divac is going to have his eye on and honestly,I hope he gets these picks right.

Last season’s draft wasn’t exactly a glowing one. However, Divac made sure that the guys he drafted were major projects that wouldn’t be producing squat for the team this past season. Save for Skal Labissiere, the results from that draft are incomplete,but the grade initially was a bad one.

The team’s needs are clear, they need a point guard that’s going to be a part of their future that can play now and they could use help at small forward with Rudy Gay being gone. I would love,love,love to see De’ Aaron Fox from Kentucky be taken if he’s available at the fifth slot. He’s a good scorer and plays a good point,I just wish he was better from three-point land,though. In any case, he would be a great addition to a team needing talent. If he’s not there and Jayson Tatum from Duke is there,then you take him and get somebody like Frank Ntilikina from France,who can hit shots from downtown and is a great two-way guard.

If there’s a draft where Divac needs to prove his worth as a competent front office executive,it’s this one. If he misses and the team continues to struggle, he’ll be gone. It’s as simple as that!

76ers center Joel Embiid celebrates with Magic Johnson as his team swaps with the Kings to get the third pick.

I do have one plea for Vlade Divac,though: Please,for the love of god, no more pick swaps.

I hate that whenever this team makes a trade,good or bad, a pick swap comes with it. I know that the Kings aren’t the only ones who have done this when initiating a trade,but I think it’s time to maybe put that on hole for a while.

Why do I say this? Because had the Philadelphia 76ers not exercised their option to swap picks with the Kings in this draft,the Kings would’ve had the third pick. That option was given to the 76ers as a result of the trade that brought Nik Stauskas and Carl Landry to Philadelphia in 2015.

Now,I know it’s hardly a right to complain about losing two spots in an already loaded draft,but what if this pick swap happened in a draft that wasn’t this way? It would’ve been a bad move by the team.

I think,for the time being, the Kings should stop with the pick swaps when making trades. At least be a good team when you do it. You know?

USC has obtained naming rights for their longtime home for their football team, historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. However, it is with a company that’s been in a lot of hot water as of late.

United Arlines.

The name of the stadium has yet to be revealed,but a report from the Los Angeles Times notes that the words “Memorial Coliseum” will be retained as part of its name due to its status as a historical landmark.

United would pay $70 million over 15 years,which makes it the largest naming rights deal in college football. The airline recently took a ethics and public-relations hit, after a video emerged showing a passenger being forcefully dragged off an overbooked United flight last month.

Some,however,are disgruntled over the deal,arguing that traditional names on stadiums such as this one that have had long,well-recognized names.

I get that the school wants to have naming rights for the stadium,but having the name of an airline that’s been in a lot of trouble recently that doesn’t give a shit about it’s customers and sinks so low to even drag them off of their flights involuntarily gives me a lot of concern.

Also, are people who go to games going to feel like they’re being “dragged” to a game? Just curious…

That’s all for this edition of Odds & Ends, we’ll see you next time!