Los Angeles Lakers: Dream trade targets before 2018 deadline

DeMarcus Cousins, C, New Orleans Pelicans

Instead of waiting to potentially sign DeMarcus Cousins next offseason, the Lakers could choose to trade for the New Orleans Pelicans’ big man instead. It’s a bold move that’ll likely cost Los Angeles some serious assets, but it could pay serious dividends from a big-picture perspective.

There are a couple of things playing into this one. First, they could throw in talents like Clarkson and Randle, which would help in the financial department. It gets Clarkson and his $12.5 million annual salary off the books, and saves the Lakers from having to deal with Randle’s restricted free agency in 2018.

The other part is that, by acquiring Cousins via trade, the Lakers would also be acquiring his Bird Rights. That means they’d be able to re-sign him without regards to the salary cap, which could provide them even more flexibility during 2018 free agency. Unloading Luol Deng as part of the deal would also be a dream come true, but that’s a bit too ambitious.

Cousins has been a superstar for the Pelicans this season. Despite that, it’s still unclear if they plan on re-signing him to a max deal next offseason. If they start to fall out of the playoff picture and continue to struggle with his short temper, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for Cousins to be traded.

So I’m thinking Clarkson, Randle, Ivica Zubac and a 2020 first round pick for Cousins. I considered using Brook Lopez in the deal instead, but it was too restrictive from a financial standpoint.

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The Pelicans aren’t bringing Cousins back in this hypothetical, so this is more than enough compensation. Then, the Lakers have more spending power next offseason, even if they aren’t able to move on from Deng’s albatross of a contract. It’s a win-win, and lands the game’s best offensive center with the team that’s likely been on his radar for some time.