Getty DeMarcus Cousins of the Golden State Warriors poses for a picture during the Golden State Warriors media day.
The past few seasons have been tough for DeMarcus Cousins. First going down at the hands of a brutal Achilles’ injury, only to follow that up with a torn quad and now a torn ACL, Cousins has suffered three major lower-body injuries in a span of fewer than two years.
Once known as one of the NBA’s premier big men capable of scoring from all three levels, the future for Cousins is unclear as it remains to be seen if he can ever turn back into the dominant All-NBA force that he once was.
Lakers Plan to Keep DeMarcus Cousins Around Team Despite Injury
Despite Cousins’ latest injury and subsequent legal issues, it seems the Lakers still plan to keep the big man around the team – even though he won’t be seeing the court until 2020-21. Per The Athletic:
“The Lakers want to integrate center DeMarcus Cousins back into the team’s culture, and he is expected to be around the roster during the LeBron James-led minicamp in Las Vegas this week, league sources said. Cousins suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during workouts in Las Vegas in mid-August and is expected to miss the 2019-20 season. The Lakers have been awarded a $1.75 million Disabled Player Exception from the NBA for the loss of Cousins.”
While only being with the team for a short time, Cousins has seemed to ingratiate himself in the culture already and the veteran big man could prove to be a strong locker room presence for a team filled with mostly new pieces.
Lakers Plans for DeMarcus Cousins DPE
Thankfully, the Lakers were granted a Disabled Player Exception for DeMarcus Cousins, Allowing them a bit of flexibility to replace him on the roster using half his salary ($1.75 million), the Lakers now have a few different options they can explore. With room already cleared for Dwight Howard (TYFYS Aric Holman), the Lakers can now add an additional player without having to send anyone packing from training camp.
While Carmelo Anthony is the big name that still lurks on the free agency market, it is unclear just how interested the Lakers might be. The Lakers do already look fairly full at the forward positions featuring big names like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kyle Kuzma among others. Instead, they may look to bolster their big men – as Howard and JaVale McGee have both dealt with durability concerns in recent years.
Kenneth Faried and Joakim Noah are both still available and could be capable of providing the Lakers with quality, albeit different, minutes. Faried is an undersized but high energy big man who can play solid defense in the post and rebound at an above-average clip. His ability to get up and down the court sets him apart and he could be a strong fit as an insurance policy for the Lakers’ up-tempo offense. Meanwhile, Noah is a bit more of a traditional, lumbering big man. That said, he is an incredibly smart defender and could offer the Lakers another big body to throw at some of the league’s elite interior bruisers.
At this point, it seems likely that the Lakers hold off until the start of training camp to get a feel for what areas of the team could use a bit more depth before jumping in and making a splash.