Kings demanded both Brandon Ingram and D'Angelo Russell in DeMarcus Cousins deal

According to some reports, one of the final straws for team governor Jeanie Buss’ decision to fire her brother Jim Buss as president of basketball operations was the latter’s failure to broker the deal that would have brought DeMarcus Cousins to the Los Angeles Lakers.

However, more details have now surfaced that add new light to this fascinating storyline. It appears that the Sacramento Kings not only wanted Brandon Ingram in exchange for Boogie, but they also demanded that D’Angelo Russell be included in the trade package.

This new bit of information was recently disclosed by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne in Zach Lowe’s The Lowe Post podcast. As transcribed by Anthony Irwin of Sliver Screen and Roll, below is exactly what Shelburne had to say.

“Shelburne: (The trade) was supposed to be Ingram and D'Angelo. That was what the Kings wanted.

Lowe: Do you think when push comes to shove, the Lakers do that?

Shelburne: No. Actually, I think Jim would've. At that moment, I heard he was very in favor of doing the trade for Cousins. (Cousins) is a great player and the Lakers feel like they need a great player and every organization at some level has to have that confidence to say well it didn't work over there but we can make it work here.”

Apparently, Jim Buss was all but ready to give the deal the green light. Perhaps he believed that both Ingram and Russell were dispensable given the fact that the Lakers are likely to acquire a top-three prospect in the upcoming draft that could somehow fill the void that was caused by the departure of these. Moreover, the franchise was desperate to sign a legitimate superstar in the post-Kobe Bryant era and Cousins was perhaps the best available option at that time.

Nonetheless, for whatever reason, the deal ultimately did not push through. One could argue that Buss and co. made the right decision – especially if you look at what the Kings eventually settled for in the Boogie trade to the New Orleans Pelicans. Regardless, this still did not save the ex-president from losing his job.