The NBA season is at the halfway point and this is around the time where rumors and speculation about the trade deadline and offseason begin. One of the league’s best big men, New Orleans Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins, will be a free agent this summer and has had his name thrown around since the start of the season.
With the Lakers front office putting all their marbles into free agency in hopes of signing one or two max contract players, Cousins and the team have been linked in the past. To no one’s surprise, they are again.
On an episode of the Dunc’d On Podcast, Marc Stein had an update on the connection between Cousins and the Lakers.
“I think the Pelicans are the clear favorites. Now, I would say there’s an expectation and maybe even speculation on the part of rival teams, but I’ve heard Dallas and the Lakers mentioned most frequently that those are teams that expected, whatever expected means, to make a run at him.”
While the Lakers having interest in a max contract player like Cousins is expected, he likely won’t be their top target according to Stein.
“Now for the Lakers, they have other targets. I would think Cousins is lower on their list than certainly LeBron or Paul George,”
By all reports, it seems the Lakers are locked in on trying to land both Lebron James and Paul George and pair them with their young core. However, the interest in Cousins should be noted, and if the team strikes out on James and/or George, their next best option could be Cousins.
There will be plenty of rumors surrounding the Lakers and top-tier free agents leading up to this summer due to their hopes of landing a star and the potential to be one of the only teams in the league with max contract cap space.
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