Doesn’t Halter Frontcourt Minutes
If the Lakers do say sign Cousins to a maximum contract, we have to assume Brook Lopez signs with another team. The Lakers already have backups invested in Ivica Zubac and late second-round pick Thomas Bryant. However, the chaos would start in the forward position were James/George or some combination of them sign with the Lakers.
You would need to give George/James their minutes to be satisfied. LeBron James and Paul George would also hinder the young Lakers’ growth. Kuzma, Ingram, or Larry Nance Jr. need to sacrifice their minutes in order to make the issues work.
Even worse, James could command whoever should have minutes and whoever shouldn’t. Luke Walton is not prepared for a James-led or George-led Lakers team. He already had to deal with issues with major role players (Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson) earlier this season. Imagine if LeBron James was taking minutes away from Ingram or Kuzma. Major issues arise when minutes stagger.
Cousins would blow away every single one of those issues. For one, he plays center, not forward. You can comfortably play him for 30-36 minutes without problems.
Assuming Randle is no longer on the team, Boogie would eat up his 13/7/2 average and much more. Cousins, assuming he takes Lopez’s role, takes his averages of 12/4/1. No matter if Cousins eats up some of the Lakers minutes, it won’t hold back Ingram and Kuzma taking their shots.