The Lakers will open a roster spot, but the Demark Cousins probably aren’t going to fill it.
Quinn Cook is expected to be pardoned for Los Angeles before his contract is guaranteed for the remainder of the 2020-21 season, which will allow the front office to scour the purchase and trade markets. Rocket officially Cousins forgiven on Tuesday., And given that he was a member of the Lakers for part of last season, he naturally emerged as a possible candidate to join the team.
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While the Lakers plan to investigate frontcourt options, a reunion between Cousins and LA is unlikely, According to Los Angeles Times’ Dan Voick and Broderick Turner. The Lakers can use the extra size for an extra period with Anthony Davis, but they apparently do not see the Cousins as the kind of player they need.
A big man who can target the Lakers, according to Voick and Turner: Hassan Whiteside. The Kings Center averaged just 14.6 minutes per game for the Sacramento team sitting in the 12th seat in the Western Conference standings. Whiteside has his flaws, but he is more of a deterrent in the rim than the Cousins according to Los Angeles values.
For now, the Lakers will roll with Mark Gasol as their only true center and operate Montreal Harley as their backup. Current roster construction leaves LA at a disadvantage on the glass – the Lakers have been ruled out of consecutive losses to Brooklyn, Miami and Washington – but LeBron James & Co. will have to figure things out until Davis returns to 100 percent .
There is no reason to worry about the Lakers as they are still on the defensive and have just 3.5 games left in the West in first place, with 40 games left in the regular season. But it would be worth monitoring how they handle Davis’ absence in the short term and whether the sense of readiness to acquire increases as they chase back-to-back titles.
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