Getty NBA free agent DeMarcus Cousins.
All season, there was talk of how the Los Angeles Lakers needed to add some pieces before the playoffs. They were involved in a litany of trade rumors, but nothing substantial happened. The only notable moves the team made all season was adding Markieff Morris and Dion Waiters.
However, there’s one player who was already on the team’s roster at a point during the season who never got a chance. When healthy, DeMarcus Cousins is one of the best big men in the NBA. The problem is that he hasn’t been fully healthy for quite a while. The Lakers signed him last offseason with the hope that he’d get healthy at some point, but that never happened. He was eventually was released when it became apparent that he wouldn’t be able to be effective this season. With the unprecedented delay in action, it’s possible the team could take another look at the big man.
Any Chance Lakers Bring Back Cousins?
It’s certainly an exciting idea to have Cousins come back after what appeared to be a lost season, but it just doesn’t seem likely. For one, it’s hard for the Lakers to know where he is with his rehab because he’s not a part of the team. By all accounts, Los Angeles really liked him and wanted him for a potential playoff run, but his health concerns were too great. Though he’s almost certainly more healthy now than he was when the team cut him loose, there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to stay that way after an extended amount of time off the court and limited time to prepare for a return to action.
It would be wiser for Cousins to wait until next season to start playing again. The beginning of the next NBA season will very likely be delayed, which will only give him more time to recover. Also, the Lakers don’t have a lack of talented big men. There are needs the team has but Cousins probably isn’t one of them.
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What About Darren Collison?
While the team doesn’t need help from a big, they still could use another ball handler. The Lakers went hard after Darren Collison before the season was put on hiatus. It looked like he had a strong chance of coming out of retirement to play for his hometown team, but decided to stay retired in the end. He did leave the door for a potential return next season.
Well, months have passed and it’s possible he’s had a change of heart. He doesn’t have injury problems and should be able to get back into shape with a few weeks of work. It’s impossible to get a read on Collison as he seems to change his mind quite a bit. At this point, the Lakers probably won’t even take a look at him. The team had a good thing going before the season was suspended and chemistry will be even more important due to the unprecedented nature of the situation. Don’t expect the Lakers to make any big moves when the season does return.
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