Report: Lakers 'Actively' Look To Acquire DeMarcus Cousins Through Trade
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — With only a few days left until the NBA draft, in which the Los Angeles Lakers have drawn a second overall pick, the purple and gold are reportedly looking to acquire All-Star Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins.
Marc Stein of ESPN tweeted Monday that the Lakers were looking into potential "trade scenarios" that would result in Cousins becoming a Laker for the 2015-16 season.
CBS Sports reports that the Lakers have been exploring multiple options, including a potential three-team deal involving the Orlando Magic and the Kings. The Magic have their own up-and-coming center in Nikola Vucevic.
All three teams have top-six picks in the NBA draft.
The likelihood of the Kings trading their young star is heavily doubted after Kings vice president and former Laker Vlade Divac stated his ardent disinterest in letting him leave Sacramento.
Cousins, who is under contract with Sacramento through 2018, scored 1,421 points through 59 games in 2014-15, along with 747 total rebounds and 103 blocks. The former Kentucky Wildcat was drafted by the Kings in 2010 and is widely seen as the future of the franchise.
The Lakers, meanwhile, are coming off their worst season in franchise history, going 21-61 (.256). The team is looking to rebuild from the ground up, and the second overall draft pick is expected to provide a big boost to that goal.
In addition to the LA discovery of Jordan Clarkson, the Lakers will expect rookie Julius Randle back in good health after he broke his leg in the first game of the 2014-15 season — an event that set the tone for the remainder of a long, arduous season.
By drafting a prospect such as Jahlil Okafor or D'Angelo Russell, the Lakers look to be in a position to build a competitive team again within a couple of years.
