DeMarcus Cousins may be on the move, and the Orlando Magic may be the team to invoke in a three-team trade proposal involving Nikola Vucevic.
DeMarcus Cousins has been the object of speculation since George Karl took the reigns in Sacramento. Despite Vlade Divac reiterating that Cousins is not on the block, Marc Stein of ESPN indicates the Kings may be looking to move him after all.
ESPN sources: Lakers are actively trying to construct trade scenarios to acquire Kings' DeMarcus Cousins. Link: http://t.co/8OWer1cRfw
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 22, 2015
Cousins has been a headache for refs and coaches alike throughout his career, but he has shown signs of maturing. And his talents are quite undeniable.
The Magic, however, are not the team that would be receiving Cousins should this three-team deal materialize.
Orlando likely would be giving up Nikola Vucevic in this trade. With the L.A. Lakers the team suiting Cousins, it would seem the Magic may be in play to receive the Lakers’ No. 2 overall pick (Orlando’s own No. 5 pick would likely go to Sacramento). The details of the deal were not clear from Stein’s report, it is not clear how exactly the deal would be constructed.
Moving Vucevic would fit with this, because that second pick could then be used to draft either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor. Both have upsides that are considered to be greater than Vucevic’s, and the Magic may not be able to make major strides with Vucevic attempting to anchor a defense. That is certainly the provocation for the Magic who need a defensive presence on the interior.
We have speculated the Magic may entirely restructure its frontcourt, and this trade would be moving along those lines. After last year’s horrid performance on the interior, a move like this would go further to address the issue in a major way.
Space City Scoop
The Magic are in a nice position with the No. 5 pick and Vucevic as a nice trade chip. While Magic fans are aware of his defensive shortcomings, he is still a borderline All Star and a player who the Kings would look to replace Cousins.
The trade will not materialize (if it does) until the Lakers select, however, because the team already traded its first round pick last year and doing so this year is not permissible. Accordingly, the Lakers would be selecting for the Magic in this scenario. It is just a matter of semantics, but it is worth noting since this trade could not be consummated until draft night.
Though Orlando seems particularly enamored with Kristaps Porzingis, the chance to move up and snag either Okafor or Towns would be too much to pass on. We will keep an eye on how this all unfolds in the time leading up to Thursday night’s draft.