Los Angeles Lakers: Realistic predictions for 2019 NBA free agency

2. The Lakers steer clear of DeMarcus Cousins

Realistically, there hasn’t been a ton of chatter about the potential pairing of the Lakers and DeMarcus Cousins. It was an option last offseason, but Pelinka is aiming higher at this point in the process.

Still, especially if the Lakers begin missing out on their top targets, Cousins could quickly enter the public discussion. Even if that happens, don’t expect those same discussions to be going on within the organization. There’s just no real way to envision Cousins showing up as anything more than a faint blip on the Lakers’ radar.

Boogie is going to want more money than he’s probably worth. Unless the Lakers decide to split their cap space and sign a couple of quality starters, he doesn’t make sense financially. Even with Cousins’ history alongside Davis (and the resulting on-court success), he isn’t the missing piece to a championship.

As we saw this past season, Cousins isn’t the nightmare for opposing defenses that he was prior to his Achilles injury. He’s still a capable playmaker who can go off on any given night, but he isn’t the game-changer he once was. It’s the sad truth of the matter.

It’s always fun to ponder the possibilities. The odds of this one even becoming an option, though, are slim to none.