The Los Angeles Lakers haven't apparently given up on their Super Team aspirations, as sources close to situation reported about the purple-and-gold's grand scheme of forming a roster with DeMarcus Cousins, Russell Westbrook and Brandon Ingram forming the core of the team next season.
Aggressive pursuit for Cousins:
Despite getting denied several times already by the Kings front office, the Lakers still keen and determined to pull off a blockbuster trade for Cousins, who is arguably the best true center in the NBA right now.
According to league insiders, the Lakers are reportedly willing to throw in a combination of Russell and Randle as the centerpiece of their trade package. They are also open to add several assets in the form of veterans (Lou Williams, Nick Young), more young players (Ivica Zubac, Anthony Brown) and draft picks to sweeten their pitch.
Westbrook free-agency:
Lakers nation writer Hannah Kulik thinks salvaging a bonifide superstar like Cousins will give them more leverage in making a pitch for another coveter player who is about to hit the free-agency market nest summer - Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook is at the center of trade speculation for the past few weeks following Kevin Durant's decision to leave OKC Thunder and join the Golden State Warriors. Thunder front-office executives have until February's trade deadline to decide whether to keep or trade the All-Star playmaker.
The Lakers are surprisingly among the teams being mentioned as potential trade suitors for Westbrook, though many basketball pundits believe waiting for him to hit the market is the smarter move since the Lakers are prime free-agency destination for the point guard.
Ingram Untouchable:
Ingram, the no.2 overall pick in last month's Draft, is viewed by many as an untouchable asset since the Lakers are pretty much high on the former Duke Blue Devil's potential.
Although Ingram didn't shoot that well in Summer League (12.2 points on 41 percent FG shooting), scouts are still giddy on his future in the league because of his ability to present mismatch problems on the opposing teams.
If the Lakers ever pull off the moves for Cousins and Westbrook, Ingram is expected to stay with the purple-and-gold and become the third wheel of this potentially new super team in the Western Conference.