NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers, DeMarcus Cousins Would Be Improvement
The Los Angeles Lakers could use a better big man for not just this season, but for future seasons. One of the players who is rumored to be a target for the Lakers in the daily NBA trade rumors is DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings.
Cousins heading to the Lakers isn’t as farfetched as it may seem. One reason is that the Lakers have some young talent they could possibly trade, but another reason is because the Lakers need a veteran presence and Cousins is currently in his sixth NBA season.
This season with the Kings, Cousins is averaging a double-double with 29.1 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game. Those aren’t numbers to overlook at all, and with the Lakers in a current rebuild mode, adding a player like Cousins via trade would speed up that process.
Cousins averages nearly 35 minutes per game, has played in 29 games, and is shooting 45.6 percent this season. Those numbers are some of the reasons that make him a possible target to be involved in a trade with the Lakers or another NBA team.
Most likely, if the Lakers gain any player in a trade before the deadline where they can build around, they’ll have to place D’Angelo Russell in a deal, especially for a player the caliber of Cousins.
In a recent Forbes article about NBA trade rumors, the Lakers and Cousins were mentioned as Anthony DiMoro gave his thoughts on a possible deal.
“Cousins has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers for quite some time and the Lakers could give the Kings perhaps the best return on a trade. Sacramento would be wise to pry D’Angelo Russell from Los Angeles.”
That opinion is agreeable and most likely something that would have to occur for Cousins to leave his current NBA team in California to become a member of the Lakers.
One negative of Cousinsregarding a possible trade to the Lakers is his off-the-court behavior, as it can be described as intense at times.
Even with some of his antics away from the court, which recently included a spat with a reporter from a Sacramento newspaper, that can be overlooked for his body of work on the court. The Lakers have dealt with players who were intense before, and Cousins is still just 26-years-old, so he has a lot of years left in the NBA.
Cousins’ talents on the court are among the best in the NBA. Take a look at his past nine games. The NBA superstar is still averaging 29.1 points per game. and in the month of December, he’s averaging 29.6 points per game. Looking at the Lakers, their power forwards include Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr., and Thomas Robinson.
Randle averages 12.8 points per game in 28.8 minutes per game, while Robinson averages 11 minutes per game (3.2 points per game) and Nance Jr. is averaging 7.0 points per game in 22.4 minutes per game, as all three have played in over 20 games this season.
As for Cousins, another NBA trade rumor has seen him potentially being traded to the Boston Celtics, a historic postseason rival of the Lakers. Bill Simmons of the Ringer gave his take on how things would be if the Celtics were the team to make a trade for the power forward.
Having Cousins in the NBA trade rumor talk is interesting, to say the least, especially with the Lakers. If a wager was placed on the final outcome of a Cousins trade once the NBA trade deadline arrives, he’ll stay with the Kings. It would be better for him to get out of Sacramento and increase his status in the NBA with the Lakers since he could be a good fit with their roster.
As the 2016 calendar year ends and 2017 arrives, Cousins will still be with the Kings. It will take some sort of special deal for the Lakers to trade for Cousins. If the Lakers were able to trade for Cousins, they could return to their past success sooner rather than later, which makes the NBA even better to watch for years to come.
[Featured Image by Harry How/Getty Images]
