Los Angeles Lakers: Next steps after landing LeBron James
3. Sign DeMarcus Cousins to a single-season deal
One rumor that has been catching steam since the hours leading up to the midnight free agency “official start” is DeMarcus Cousins signing a short-term contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
James has been a long admirer of Boogie, and has never played with a low-post bruiser like the Kentucky big man.
DeMarcus Cousins sounds like an increasingly likely target for the Lakers on a short-term max contract now that it appears Los Angeles will lose out on Paul George, per league sources. In January 2017, LeBron James called Cousins "the best big man in our game."
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) July 1, 2018
This would require renouncing the rights to Julius Randle, and could be why the Lakers waived Thomas Bryant, but it’s not to say prying Boogie away from the New Orleans Pelicans would come without risk.
Boogie is coming off an Achilles tendon tear and may not be ready for the beginning of the regular season, and doesn’t have the best reputation of playing team basketball during his days in New Orleans or the Sacramento Kings. He has ballerina like quickness on the offense end, but this quickness and effort doesn’t always translate to the defensive end.
However, being thrown onto a Lakers team with contending aspirations with the best player in the world would place him at a crossroads. The money is drying up around the NBA, he’s coming off a brutal injury that may stop him from reaching his prior athleticism and this may be his last chance to cash in.
The Los Angeles Lakers met with restricted free agent Clint Capela, who would be a great fit next to LeBron as well, but I don’t see how the Houston Rockets would let him walk after losing Trevor Ariza and how well Capela fits next to James Harden and Chris Paul.
Lakers, working multiple scenarios, will meet this afternoon with Rockets RFA Clint Capela, per league source.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 1, 2018
I love the on-court fit with LeBron and Cousins more than Capela anyway because Boogie can alleviate some of the offensive pressure from the latter, and there will be pressure to perform like nothing he’s ever seen.
Bringing Boogie in on a one-year, $20-25 million deal gives him a hefty payday, forces him to show up at his best this season or hit an open market in 2019 after a rough season and keeps the Lakers’ long-term cap situation clear.
However, after signing Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee, the path to getting there certainly wouldn’t be easy:
This is still accurate (minus the R-MLE part), even after the Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee deals, if more is to come.https://t.co/csEnYdd7ol
— Albert Nahmad (@AlbertNahmad) July 2, 2018