The Los Angeles Lakers had some very serious discussions about trading for DeMarcus Cousins before the NBA Draft that centered around the second overall pick. Most assumed that pick would be center Jahlil Okafor, but the Lakers surprised many by taking point guard D’Angelo Russell.
— Have you seen the ‘Bleed Purple and Gold’ phone case? —
After the draft, there were still questions as to whether the Lakers would re-visit the trade talks and look to move Russell to bring Cousins in. According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, however, the Lakers intend to keep Russell and have not talked to the Kings about Cousins:
The Lakers stopped calling Kings about Boogie after drafting @Dloading –whom they want to keep. Kings haven't called back either
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 2, 2015
The Lakers seem to have very high hopes for Russell and don’t intend to give him up for any established star. The potential of Russell, along with second-year forward Julius Randle give the Lakers hope for the future.
The team was hoping to make a splash and bring in a big-name to join their young core, but have failed to do so to this point. The team may indeed start looking to trades to improve the team, but are more likely to deal for David Lee than Cousins at this point.
The Lakers view Russell as a future superstar and they intend for him to realize that potential in a Lakers’ uniform.
[divide]
