Los Angeles Lakers: Free agents to replace Dwight Howard if he leaves

3. DeMarcus Cousins

The Los Angeles Lakers very well could just hit the rewind button and go with the initial strategy from the 2020 season. “Thanks, Dwight, you have been great for us, but DeMarcus is healthy and ready to take your spot.”

I hear Rob Pelinka’s voice echoing in my brain while writing this.

DeMarcus Cousins got even more time to get healthy and should be good to go for the start of this delayed 2020 season. And as we have seen the last two years, Cousins has had to take a pay cut and has not been shy in trying to get that ring by signing with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers.

Cousins likely is not going to have offers flooding in, especially with the unique circumstances in the world right now and the 2020 season. The Lakers should already be the favorites to sign Cousins and it makes much more sense for the big man to stay with the team that he already knows.

Heck, the Lakers let Cousins continue to rehab his injury at the team facility even after his release. They released him to open up a roster spot and I am sure that there is still some sort of relationship there.

The question for the Lakers becomes if the team wants to take another risk with Cousins and hope he stays healthy this time. Is it even worth it to take that risk? The idea of a Boogie-AD-LeBron big three is really fun, even if Boogie is just 75 percent of what he used to be.

That is the question that Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office has to weigh. But as we outlined here, there are other options available.