Dear Lakers,
No. Just no. You can’t mess this up. Please, for the love of God, please do not mess this up.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Fan.
Look, I like Cousins. His nickname is Boogie. He’s incredibly interesting and talented. He’d probably do very well as the centerpiece of anything other than the dumpster fire that is the Sacramento Kings. All that said, the Lakers’ top pick on Thursday is far more valuable than Cousins might be if he wound up in Los Angeles.
ESPN’s Marc Stein’s tweet (below) makes the Lakers unable to control themselves, though.
ESPN sources: Lakers are actively trying to construct trade scenarios to acquire Kings' DeMarcus Cousins. Link: http://t.co/8OWer1cRfw
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 22, 2015
Trading the second pick doesn’t just mean trading whichever prospect they might have drafted, you’re also trading the flexibility that comes with having said young talent at a cheap rate for the next four years.
If the Lakers make the trade, it would mean they believe Cousins more valuable than whoever they might’ve taken, plus whichever free agent the Lakers could have acquired with that cap space.
So, let’s say the Lakers draft Jahlil Okafor as expected, then use roughly $12M on a wing they desperately need, plus other free agents over the entirety of Okafor’s rookie deal. Do you think Cousins is worth more than at least that first duo, let alone anyone else acquire with that flexibility?
Yeah, me neither.
Again, please, Lakers, don’t do this. You’re right there. Just make the pick Thursday and let that young core grow together.