Report: The Magic turned down a deal for DeMarcus Cousins


According to Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report, the Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings had trade discussions earlier this season revolving around DeMarcus Cousins heading to Orlando and the Magic turned them down:


Color me skeptical but the Kings looking for Evan Fournier, Nikola Vucevic and MAYBE some picks sounds more than a wee bit on the short side of what a deal for Cousins would be able to haul in. Both of the those guys a good young players with room to grow, could be starters on good teams and at the very least very good role players on a contending team, but you are not dealing a potential cornerstone NBA player for those guys without a plethora of picks coming in return as well. I would hope that if that is the going rate for Cousins that Danny Ainge is treating Magic GM Rob Hennigan with his Chipotle black card and putting the finishing touches on a Cousins-to-Boston deal as I write this.

Although Cousins is on the record as wanting to stay in Sacramento, and maybe he does, I am positive DeMarcus would gladly sign that $219 million dollar mega-contract extension with a better team. Bucher claimed that the reason Orlando cooled on the deal was that Magic brass was unsure about both Cousins stability and the ability to retain him beyond his current contract. Via RealGM:

"Hennigan apparently was concerned about both his ability to re-sign Cousins this summer and building the franchise around yet another high maintenence big man."

Shout out to Dwight Howard, people are still having nightmares about you in Orlando!

Bucher also lamented that the word around the league is that Kings owner Vivek Ranadive is still uncertain about handing that massive contract to Cousins as well. My thinking is there's practically no chance Cousins gets dealt at this deadline to anybody, as with another year still left on his contract if the Kings are truly uncertain about inking him to a deal so massive they could either sign him to the extension and then trade him, or just deal him and allow another team to negotiate on there own terms this offseason. Either way I doubt it would drastically change what they'd be able to get in return for the uber-talented, but also polarizing, 26-year old Center.

Related: Countdown to the trade deadline - DeMarcus Cousins

Photo Credit - Reinhold Matay/USA TODAY Sports

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