While the rumors about Russell Westbrook going to the Lakers continue to swirl, the true target of the Lakers could be DeMarcus Cousins.
According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the best time to trade DeMarcus Cousins is now.
"A common theme among executives this summer was that in order to extract real value out of a player, a team has to trade that player with at least a full year left on their deal," Kyler stated. "Cousins has two left on his."
Not to mention, as Kyler said, Cousins is in "the best shape of his career" as he seems driven to work out six days a week. Part of that is preparation for the Rio Olympics but it's also to compete in the next season.
Despite the Kings' multiple declarations that they don't intend to trade Cousins, teams continue to call. Kyler confirmed that the Cleveland Cavaliers has indeed made an inquiry. Kyler said that the Kings won't entertain trade talk "despite long-standing interest from the Boston Celtics and at least one inquiry for the Cleveland Cavaliers."
Still, the Basketball Insider claims that "no one believes Cousins wants to be in Sacramento long-term."
With that in mind, the attention shifts towards the teams that should try to make a bid. The Kings entered the draft needing a point guard and came out with two centers and a shooting guard. It was also confirmed that the Kings were inquiring about Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell during draft night, a player that Sacramento coveted even before he was drafted.
D'Angelo Russell is fast becoming the face of the Lakers franchise and he had a great showing during Summer League. If the Kings were trying to trade for him with their other trade pieces, (Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore, Kosta Koufos) the Lakers would not agree. There is only one player on the Kings roster that the Lakers would trade Russell for and that's DeMarcus Cousins.
According to A Sea Of Blue, a site dedicated to Kentucky players and alumnus (like Cousins), the Lakers are likely to trade Julius Randle and draft picks for Boogie. That places the Lakers at a quandary.
The possible scenario is that the Lakers are probably showcasing Russell and waiting for the price to drop on Cousins to the point that a Russell-Cousins straight-up trade is possible. The Lakers can survive with Jordan Clarkson and Cousins' presence on the Lakers roster is a big selling point for Russell Westbrook to sign-in as a free agent in the offseason.
That sounds like a plausible plan for the Tinseltown team but for now, they should try to develop the young core with new coach Luke Walton.