Los Angeles Lakers: Pass or pursue on three rumored trade targets
By Dalton Sell
Should the Los Angeles Lakers pass or pursue rumored trade target DeMarcus Cousins?
Another big man that the Los Angeles Lakers could look at is DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins is familiar with the organization, as he signed with the Lakers during the 2019 offseason as a free agent. However, he was never able to play a game with the club before he tore his ACL and missed the entire season.
Now playing for the Houston Rockets, Cousins could soon be heading out the door to hit the open market once more. There is some confusion regarding his exit as reports coming out of Houston are all over the place. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Rockets would part ways with the center in the coming days to focus more on their youth, but head coach Stephen Silas came out on Sunday and said that was just speculation.
Whether Cousins is available for trade or the Rockets eventually plan to cut ties with him overall, the Lakers should be the frontrunners to sign him. According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, they will indeed be on the shortlist of teams looking to bring in the former All-Star center, and the fit makes sense.
Particularly with Anthony Davis sidelined, the Lakers need depth in the frontcourt, and Cousins provides just that. Although he is not having the greatest season, averaging 9.6 points on .376/.336/.746 shooting splits while hauling in 7.4 rebounds, Cousins could still help this LA team.
Furthermore, he is affordable, whether it comes through trade or on the free agent market. Cousins is scheduled to make $2.3 million this season, making his salary far more digestible than most big men this team could potentially find elsewhere on the trade market.
DeMarcus Cousins has that familiarity with Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers, making him an ideal fit to alleviate this team’s frontcourt issues.