DeMarcus Cousins (Photo : Getty Images)
DeMarcus Cousins has been a very interesting tweeter. His Twitter status has sparked numerous rumors and he is not about to stop.
The LA Lakers seem like an obvious target as they have always been searching for a star to be the face of their team. The team is also in California so Cousins won't have to adjust that much. Recently, another Cousins' comment has sparked trade talk-which actually never stopped.
Favorite team growing up was the Lakers. #CANTBOXBOOGIE https://t.co/9nlCrg7q97
— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) July 21, 2016
DeMarcus Cousins' admission that the Lakers were his favorite team should not really be a reason for trade talks if not for the fact that the rumors were already in place. In a report from Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, the Lakers have not yet signed 2nd overall pick Brandon Ingram.
"The team has held off on signing Tarik Black, Marcelo Huertas and second-overall pick Brandon Ingram, keeping an eye on what could be $13.6 million in cap room (assuming the team also waives and stretched Nick Young)," Pincus reported. "The Lakers do have an unnamed trade target in mind, but are also preserving space for another opportunistic Calderon-like deal."
How could this relate to DeMarcus Cousins getting traded to the Lakers? Dariurs Soriano of ESPN blog Forum Blue and Gold explained it further. He ruled out the "Calderon-like" trade which happened because of Dwyane Wade going to the Bulls. There are no more big free agents remaining that could trigger such an occurrence. Thus, it dwells on the Lakers "unnamed trade target" which Soriano thought was Russell Westbrook.
Soriano reiterated that Pincus said "they want to use it (cap space) to facilitate a trade." "By having, potentially, $13.6 million in space, the Lakers wouldn't actually need to match salaries in this hypothetical trade," Soriano noted. "Westbrook currently only makes $17.7 million. The Lakers could absorb Westbrook into their cap space by only sending a little over $4 million back in salary."
Cousins is receiving 16 million so the terms could also apply to him, but the Kings have been adamant on not trading Boogie. There are three reasons why the Kings' stand could change, specifically for the Lakers.
1) The Kings have always wanted D'Angelo Russell and showcasing him on Summer League reinforces that. Note Marc Stein's tweet on draft night and the fact that the Kings have not yet secured a point guard (even when they knew Rondo was leaving and they did not make an effort to keep him).
Sacramento has been heavily engaged in trade talks all week and sources say one player they've tried to land is the Lakers' D'Angelo Russell — Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 23, 2016
2) The Lakers choice of Mozgov opens the possibility of Boogie playing power forward in certain set ups. Cousins is a beast of a post player but even in his practices with Team USA, he was seen taking three point shots. He is mobile and agile enough to take on opponents up front or drive to the hoop.
Cousins has already played power forward in Sacramento alongside Willie Cauley-Stein in certain situations and with Mozgov's limited, specific skill set, there is still a need for Cousins in the roster.
3) Cousins and the Lakers know that their union would attract free agents next summer. There is a clear window for growth with the Lakers with their young core (whoever is not traded for him) developing and Luke Walton as coach. If Cousins can garner attention in LA for his talent and not for his attitude, the Lakers would be an attractive landing spot.
