Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve DeMarcus Cousins, who will reportedly be waived to make room for Markieff Morris, who was bought out by the Detroit Pistons.
Well, it didn’t take long for more Los Angeles Lakers rumors to pop up. This time, however, there is more fire than smoke.
Since the NBA Trade Deadline passed on February 6th, the focus has shifted to the buyout market. The Lakers, who did not make a deal prior to the deadline, were expected to be players on the buyout market despite not having a roster spot available to sign a player.
As the days wore on, players the Lakers were targeting quickly went off the board. Marcus Morris, the one player the team targeted in a trade, was dealt to the LA Clippers by the New York Knicks.
Darren Collison remained retired. Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks after being waived by the Charlotte Hornets. Reggie Jackson signed with the Clippers. DeMarre Carroll and Jeff Green joined the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers were once again sitting idly by, being linked to players such as J.R. Smith, Dion Waiters and Tyler Johnson. No movement occurred there, but the Lakers quickly pounced when another big man hit the market.
After buying out Jackson, the Detroit Pistons agreed to a buyout with veteran big man, Markieff Morris. The Lakers quickly emerged as the front runner for his services, but a tough decision laid ahead. Someone would still have to be cut to make room for him. Now, we know what that decision will be.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, in combination with Ramona Shelburne, the Lakers will waive DeMarcus Cousins, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in August.
Lakers are waiving DeMarcus Cousins, league sources tell @Ramonashelburne and me.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 22, 2020
This comes days after Cousins praised the organization and spoke about how he was hoping to help the team on the court during a postseason push. Instead, now, he will continue rehabbing an eye toward returning to the court next season.
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It is likely that Cousins will be met with a cold market this offseason. This is the third consecutive season that he has suffered a major injury, as he tore his Achilles with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2018 and ruptured his quad with the Golden State Warriors during the 2019 NBA Playoffs before tearing his ACL in August.
This could also be a sign that Cousins wasn’t as healthy as had been discussed. Morris, who has had some injuries himself, will help the Lakers’ frontcourt depth.
He is capable of playing some minutes at center, which will help against teams playing small ball. However, unlike JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard, Morris is a threat from deep, as he connected on 39.7 percent of his 3-pointers this season, a career-high.
Morris brings some toughness and some experience to the roster, as he has played in 24 postseason games.
For now, Troy Daniels remains on the roster. However, if the team elects to add another free agent, such as the guards mentioned above or if Maurice Harkless is bought out by the Knicks, his roster spot could be in danger.