1. DeMarcus Cousins
Despite all of his flaws, despite the fact that he may never mature into the player that many people want him to be, and despite the fact that he is the brightest spot currently on the Sacramento Kings roster, DeMarcus Cousins still feels like an attainable asset if the right trade were to come across the desk of the Kings front office. And considering that the Lakers have a glaring hole at center, it would only make sense for them to pursue Boogie.
Make no mistake, it’s going to take a hell of a package to pry the Kings’ fingers loose from Cousins. He’s that talented and special of a player to where he demands a—pardon the phrase—king’s ransom for any trade that he’s involved in. For a team like the Lakers that are now looking for the next young superstar to reveal himself, though, sending away the No. 2 pick and other pieces might be worth getting Cousins.
It would be an obvious risk because of Cousins’ proven lack of maturity over his career, but bringing him in to play alongside D’Angelo Russell is almost too enticing of a proposition to pass up if it’s an at all viable option for the Lakers this offseason.