Despite the aggressive coverage of NBA trade rumors, there are actual talks that slip through the cracks and go unreported.
The Orlando Magic, of all teams, actually had a shot to acquire the best big man in the league and they refused. DeMarcus Cousins, the biggest name in trade rumors for more than two years almost became the next franchise center of the Disney World team.
According to Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report via Twitter, the Orlando Magic had the chance to trade for DeMarcus Cousins for Nik Vucevic and Evan Fournier, or the latter could have been replaced with picks.
Clutch Points noted that Magic GM Rob Hennigan Magic "was reportedly worried about the potential of re-signing Cousins but also building around him because he is 'high maintenance.'"
It was also mentioned that Cousins has been "open amid reports of his potential departure that he wants to stay in Sacramento and that he intends to sign a max contract extension with them when the time comes."
While the initial reaction to these reports was that Hennigan blew it, the Magic does have a history of franchise centers walking away. Cousins' free agency is not that far off (at the end of the 2017-2018 season) and the question that Bucher raised, "would Cousins still be an All-Star with the Magic" has no clear answer.
The bigger question is actually "will the Magic give Cousins a taste of the playoffs?" There is no clear answer for that as well, although Frank Vogel has been good with big men. It should be recalled that he got the best production from Roy Hibbert.
While this is a good discussion to have, this report should also be taken with the proverbial grain of salt. Bucher has had bold, even outlandish claims before (in similar formats on Twitter).
Last August, he also made a bold claim that the San Antonio Spurs would capitalize on the frustration of Steph Curry, specifically losing his alpha dog status on the Golden State Warriors. This was recalled by CBS Sports.
"I think the Spurs are looking at the fact Kevin Durant came into Golden State and that Kevin Durant may take up some of the superstar space that was previously occupied by Steph Curry," said Bucher in a Bleacher Report Radio interview. "And when Steph Curry becomes a free agent, I think they are going to go hard at Steph Curry."
This could still actually hold true and Bucher did say that it is dependent on how the Warriors' season unfolds.
However, this was a claim about a botched transaction in the past. The teams in question have yet to respond to Bucher's latest revelation.
The main takeaway, if it does hold true, is that Cousins is actually not that desirable to other teams. He might even be untradeable. Vucevic and Fournier seems a small price to pay for a franchise level talent. The Magic would probably have offered more for a player like Paul George, for instance.
While Cousins being "untradeable" is too much of a stretch, the point is that if Cousins does decide to stay in Sacramento and the Kings fail to trade him, it could be because both sides could not find better options apart from each other.