NBA Rumors: L.A. Lakers Remain ‘Top Option’ For DeMarcus Cousins In 2019 Free Agency, Per ‘Sports Illustrated’
Last summer, All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins took a huge pay cut to join the star-studded Golden State Warriors with the hope of winning his first NBA championship title and rebuilding his value. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as Cousins expected. Aside from failing to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the 2018-19 NBA season, there’s a strong chance that Cousins won’t get the contract that he wants in the 2019 NBA free agency.
With his inability to bring back his All-Star form last season, DeMarcus Cousins isn’t expected to receive a max deal this summer. To make things worse for “Boogie,” he may not even be presented with a decent offer in this summer’s free agency. In an appearance on Sports Center, which is currently posted on Twitter, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN revealed that there’s currently no market for Cousins.
As of now, it’s more likely that the player will once again be forced to sign another cheap deal as an unrestricted free agent. If he’s willing to give a massive discount on his new contract, one of the potential landing spots for Cousins is the Los Angeles Lakers. According to Michael Shapiro of Sports Illustrated, the Lakers remain Cousins’ “top option” if they don’t land Kawhi Leonard in the 2019 NBA free agency.
“Any Knicks buzz for Cousins appears over after New York landed Bobby Portis and Julius Randle on Sunday. Both scoring brutes will line up next to Mitchell Robinson up front, leaving little room for Cousins to eat. The Lakers remain Cousins’ top option if they don’t land Leonard. The Cousins-Anthony Davis reunion would be an exciting free–agent outcome, even after Cousins’ Achilles and quad injuries. The duo ran a nimble two-man dance in New Orleans, one that improved throughout 2017-18 before Cousins went down. Running a twin-towers lineup next to James would be among the league’s most interesting experiments.”
DeMarcus Cousins' free agent value has reportedly cratered 1 year after his shocking gamble with the Warriors https://t.co/vZfrVjx4bN
— Insider Sports (@SportsInsider) July 2, 2019
It’s definitely not surprising at all if Cousins really chooses the Lakers as his next destination. When he became an unrestricted free agent last summer, Cousins was also rumored to be interested in signing with the Lakers, but during that time, the Purple and Gold weren’t patient enough to wait for him to recover from his injury. Cousins now has more reasons to sign with the Lakers since they recently acquired his close friend and former New Orleans Pelicans teammate, Anthony Davis.
Signing a one-year deal with the Lakers would be a wise move for DeMarcus Cousins. Aside from the opportunity to win his first NBA championship title with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers could also help Cousins revive his NBA career and get a better chance of landing a max contract in the summer of 2020.
