Benefit number three: Expanded rosters
Typically, each team in the NBA is allowed to carry 15 players on their roster, 13 of which are active in each contest. Now it’s looking more and more likely that each squad will be allowed to carry an additional two players on their roster under the new NBA format. The NBA wants to implement this rule change to hedge against the possibility that some players won’t return once the NBA resumes play.
Every team can benefit from having two extra roster spots, but the Lakers are one of the few squads that can genuinely use this rule change to help make roster decisions for next season.
According to a recent Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, the Lakers can bring DeMarcus Cousins back for the stretch run if the league allows teams to expand their rosters to 17 players. There are also rumors that Cousins wants to rejoin the Lakers because he admires LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
If Rob Pelinka were to resign Cousins, nobody would expect him to suit up and play postseason contests. Still, it would give the Purple and Gold an excellent opportunity to see how DeMarcus looks during practices.
We all know that Cousins is incredibly talented, but he’s had three major injuries in the same leg within three years. Cousins would likely show up and look hobbled, but there’s a possibility that he looks spry again, which would give Rob Pelinka the inside intel he needs to sign Cousins to a minimum deal next season.
Devontae Cacok is one of the Lakers’ two-way players. Unfortunately for Cacok, the Purple and Gold are stacked, so he hasn’t had an opportunity to play with the big boys this season. However, he’s crushed it for the Lakers G-League affiliate. He’s averaged 19.4 PPG and 11.9 RPG while hitting over 65 percent of his field goals.
Cacok has shown that he’s a great roll man and an excellent overall finisher at the rim. His problem is that at 6’7,” he’s an undersized center who can’t shoot well enough to play the forward position next to LeBron James or Anthony Davis.
The Los Angeles Lakers could add him to the roster and sees how he fairs during the Lakers’ mostly meaningless, final eight regular-season games. Perhaps Cacok balls out and shows that he can play a similar role that Montrezl Harrell—another undersized and shooting depraved center—fills for the Clippers.