re: Thought this was interesting

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Amiright?

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Yes.

8% raises, rather than 5%. And the Pels can offer him a 5 year deal, rather than a 4 year deal that he could get from other teams.

We can only guess at motivations but I'd have to say while the facts you listed are correct, that's not why the agent tried to derail a trade from the Kings. The Kings were the only team that could give him the new super max extension. That was actually a lot of the motivation behind them trading Cousins in the first place. They knew if they didn't trade him they'd have to pay him and they just didn't want to. Cousins had said he'd have stayed in Sacramento for the money.

My guess is if Cousins and the pelicans stay competitive and he stays healthy, we'll see a mid season leak that will let teams know we're planning to offer him the maximum amount possible.

Even if the Wizards gutted the roster down to Wall/Beal/Porter like NoFox mentioned before, you're at $77.5 million in salary with those 3 and the minimum roster holds. With a projected cap of $101 million that gives the Wizards $23.5 million in cap space to sign Cousins, who's max will be starting at $30.3 million.

I don't think the Wizards have the assets to dump all of their contracts. Even if they did they now have just 4 players under contract, no draft picks, and only the $5 million Room Exception, and minimum contracts to sign 1 starter and 7 bench players. AND that is all assuming Boogie would settle for $23.5 million. If he signed an extension with the Pels today his salary would start at $21.5 million, just a $2 million difference. He'd have to really want to play with John Wall a lot more than Anthony Davis to wait for Free Agency and sign a deal starting at $23.5 million.

Honest question, if the Pels were in a similar position to sign a max player do you think 1) they have the assets to cut the roster down to just AD/DC/Jrue and 2) that the star in question would take $7 million less per year just to sign with the Pels? The Wizard and Pelicans roster situations are actually pretty similar, and I don't think you're a Pels homer so hopefully that example helps you see that you're being kind of unrealistic about Cousins signing with Washington. If he goes there it would have to be in a trade and this season is a lot more viable than the offseason for salary matching reasons.

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Howard took less to go to Houston.

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Dwight Howard signed a max deal with Houston?

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Hayward would have made more in Utah, I think.

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Hayward signed a max contract with Boston.

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James has never taken a long term max contract.

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LeBron did take a pay cut to go to Miami, but all 3 of James, Wade, and Bosh took pay cuts to do that. In this scenario you'd be asking Cousins to take a bigger pay cut than either of those guys did, while the other three max level players on the roster were making their max.

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Paul took less.

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Paul did not take less, he opted into the last season of his contract in order to be able to be traded because he couldn't out right sign with the team that he wanted to play with (because they didn't have cap space).

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Paul George will take less this coming Summer.

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Conjecture.

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Aldridge

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Is no longer worth a max contract, I'm honestly surprised the Spurs gave him the extension at all.

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Durant

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Durant is basically the only valid person listed in this post. The Warriors turned him into a baby back bitch, so he went join them and took less money to keep the team together. He's a beta. Cousins is not a beta.

Durant is the only person on that list.

You’re clueless.

My point is he took less money. Something all of you are saying never happens. Its the exact same situation as Cousins..

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Its the exact same situation as Cousins..

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In what way?

There is no way they can make enoungh space? I'm not even going to try hard and I can do its. Lets see..

1. They like Oubre, so trade Porter (its been over a year). They can go to an under the cap team (Indy or Brooklyn), throw in Mahinmi and take back minimal contracts. So that frees up about 40M.

2. Gortat is a top 15ish Center on an expiring cheap 14M a year contract. Trade him, kick in a 2nd if necessary. But that is great value for the money and an expiring. Someone would take him for free, much less having to throw in picks.

There is another 14M, so I've already dropped 50M in space.

3. Cousins tells our new GM this summer he wants to go to Washington. They now have just barely enough room. But they need a bit more cap space. Do you think the Pelicans might not take a Morris, Smith or Satoranssky to get a protected 1st from the Wiz? Of course they will.

I don't know why everyone was do fixated on the Wiz. It was just my opinion on where he might end up. The money part is just a small obstacle..