After Kawhi Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers pivoted to Plan B which included signing DeMarcus Cousins to a one-year, $3.5 million deal.
While Cousins is only 29-years-old and is a four-time All-Star player, he has suffered two major injuries (torn left Achilles and torn left quadriceps) over the last two seasons.
As Cousins is motivated to return to All-Star form and has visibly lost some weight heading into the 2019-20 NBA season, it appears he is facing another potential setback.
Cousins reportedly suffered a possible knee injury while working out in Las Vegas and will undergo further testing soon, according to Adrian Wojanrowski of ESPN:
Los Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins has suffered a possible knee injury and will undergo further testing in Los Angeles on Thursday, league sources told ESPN. The four-time All-Star is expected to meet with Lakers team physicians, sources said.
Cousins reportedly had to leave the court after ‘bumping knees’ with another player, according to Wojnarowski:
Cousins, 29, was working out in Las Vegas on Monday when he had to leave the court after what one source described as “bumping knees” with another player.
While it is unclear the extent of Cousins’ latest injury, this is unfortunate news to say the least. When healthy, he is one of the best centers in the league and there has been excitement about him and Anthony Davis reuniting in Los Angeles after good times with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Depending on the results, Cousins has been widely viewed as the team’s X-factor heading into Year 1 in Los Angeles. If he is able to stay relatively healthy, many view the Lakers as the favorites to win it all in the 2020 NBA Finals.
As it stands, the Lakers have JaVale McGee and Davis available to play center for head coach Frank Vogel. However, Davis did not ‘sugarcoat’ wanting to play power forward, but is willing to play center in certain situations.