Sources: DeMarcus Cousins Fined One Game's Pay by Kings

February 14 2011 Last updated at 07:15 PM ET

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Sacramento Kings fined DeMarcus Cousins one game's pay for his actions following a loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

As first reported by FanHouse, the rookie forward exchanged swings with teammate Donte' Greene in the locker room afterward before the two were separated. Cousins, according to sources, was angry at the last play in which Greene passed to Tyreke Evans for an eventual missed 3-pointer that would have won the game rather than pass to Cousins in the post. It was the byproduct of a bigger issue as well, as sources close to Cousins say his patience with the way in which Evans is handled by the team's players and coaches has been tested for weeks.

Cousins will not be suspended, however, as the team announced on Monday that he is rejoining his teammates in Oklahoma City and will be available to play in Tuesday's rematch against the Thunder. The fine -- which amounts to a de facto one-game suspension -- will cost Cousins approximately $41,000. The fifth pick of the June draft out of Kentucky was slated to earn approximately $3.3 million this season.

"There is no place in the NBA for violence, either on or off the court," Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie said in a statement. "Upon investigating the events of Saturday night, we feel it is necessary to impose an appropriate fine related to DeMarcus' behavior. We will now move forward together. We do not intend to give up on DeMarcus' talent or potential. We look forward to watching his continued improvement and development, which has been significant since the beginning of the season."

Cousins released a statement as well.

"I wish to apologize to my teammates, the Kings organization and Kings' fans for my role in an unfortunate altercation between teammates," Cousins said. "I accept full responsibility for my actions and know that I must keep raising my standard of professionalism to be my best and a great player in the NBA."

Petrie addressed the media on Monday afternoon at the team's practice facility in Sacramento.

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