DeMarcus Cousins

While he is not a free agent yet and is still a member of the Houston Rockets, reports have surfaced that DeMarcus Cousins and the Rockets are expected to part ways in the coming weeks. When Christian Wood fully returns from his ankle injury, Cousins is expected to be released by the Rockets, leaving him as a highly coveted free agent target for numerous championship teams. 

The Lakers could be interested in a reunion with DeMarcus Cousins to not only keep him from going to other championship teams, but to fill an immediate need in their frontcourt. This has already been mentioned in NBA rumors as a possibility. He is not the All-Star center or double-double machine he once was, but DeMarcus Cousins is averaging 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this year. 

Not only are those numbers better than Marc Gasol’s, but those numbers would make him the 6th best scorer on the Lakers and their third best rebounder outside of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Cousins was with the Lakers during the 2019-20 season, but suffered a torn ACL and never appeared in a game for them.

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This could be his second-chance to wear the purple and gold and even when AD returns, DeMarcus Cousins could still be a guy the Lakers could utilize off-the-bench. While he would probably like to see a solid amount of playing time and make an impact, Cousins could be willing to adapt to this new role of being a “plug-and-play” bench player. 

Not only would he be on a championship team, but he could be a very valuable asset for them should something happen to one of their other frontcourt players. Signing DeMarcus Cousins poses no risk to the Lakers, making him a worthwhile replace for Davis.