As soon as Davis signed on with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports, the rumours started flying. "He must be going to the Lakers now", "they'll find a way to team him up with LeBron", "he will be the Lakers' second star". ESPN's Jalen Rose has already gone out on a limb and predicted that Davis will wear the Purple and Gold for the 2019/20 season.
Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler seemingly want to be alphas. Klay Thompson is the Warriors' top priority, and the 'Kevin Durant to the Knicks' story is starting to gain wind. The free agent options for summer 2019 are starting to dwindle for the Lakers.
Some have attributed it to star players not wanting to team up with LeBron, which to be honest, makes perfect sense if you want to be "the man" on your team. Either way, turning focus to a trade for Anthony Davis is starting to become a very real solution...
...But is this really the right move?
The Lakers have a lot of young, promising talent. But in reality, their assets aren't the strongest. Aside from LeBron, the only players committed long-term are on rookie deals. Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart are set to make less than $4 million combined next year, and at $8.7 million, Lonzo Ball is the highest paid of the young players. To trade for Davis, the Lakers would have to gut this team, leaving them with both LeBron and AD, but not much else.
The league has changed. Having two players, even two of the best five in the league, is not enough to get it done anymore. The Celtics are not going anywhere anytime soon. The Warriors will field five All-Star talents during the postseason, and many are still saying Boston can beat them in the Finals, if they have home-court. What will the Lakers achieve with LeBron and Davis, and no-one else?
So who should the Lakers sign then? They should sign a star free agent, one who's gone completely under the radar...
...DeMarcus Cousins.
Before tearing his Achilles, Cousins was having an incredible season. He averaged 25 and 13 and 5 off of 47% from the field and 35% from deep. He also picked up both 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.
An Achilles injury is almost impossible to come back from. It's ruined so many careers, and jump-started the end for Kobe Bryant. The best example of a comeback from this injury is Dominique Wilkins, who suffered the injury in the 1991-2 season, and went on to average 30 the year after.
Cousins has already shown great signs. He's been dunking for over a month (see above), and seems to be moving well. As a player, he doesn't rely on explosiveness, as much as say a Dwight Howard or a guard. If anyone was to come back from this, it would be him.
When healthy, Cousins is a 25 and 12 player, and the second best big man in the league behind Anthony Davis. He'll have plenty of time to get back to 100%, as the Warriors will put him under no pressure to rush back. If any team was to give Cousins the best situation to get back to his best, it would be Golden State.
And yet, no-one is talking about him. Maybe because they have to see it to believe it, which is understandable. It's tough to see any scenario where the Warriors keep DeMarcus after this year, as he continues to look for that max deal. With all the young talent surrounding LeBron in LA, having a big man to complete the roster should be the final piece to complete this team.
Let's not forget, that as a 9 year vet in 2019, signing Cousins to the max would actually leave the Lakers with some cap space, to bring in another useful piece (perhaps a shooter), before they fill out the roster with mid-level exceptions and veteran deals.
And I know people may talk about his lack of temperament and say that he's ejection risk, but talent trumps all of that. Just ask Golden State, who were first in ejections and third in technical fouls last year, and still won it all.
I'm not saying that Cousins is better than AD. Davis is the only big man better than Boogie, and he's also three years younger. If both were free agents, I certainly know who I'd go after.
Laker fans, would you rather gut your team for Davis, or sign Boogie; and team him up with LeBron, Lonzo, Ingram, Kuzma and Hart? Not to mention Moritz Wagner as a second big man option. In order to win in this league, you need options. Why take all the good work that Magic and Pelinka have done creating this team, and use it to bring in one player, even if he is a top three player in this league?
DeMarcus Cousins will come back strong from this injury. I don't go out on a limb too often on this site, but you can book it, and can come find me if I end up being wrong!
Anthony Davis may be the flashier move, but is Boogie the smarter one?
Which player would you rather sign, given the circumstances, leave a comment below!
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