After the Los Angeles Lakers officially missed out on all of their big name front court targets in free agency, the question remains on how the team plans on fixing their one of their immediate needs. In the days coming into the NBA Draft, the Lakers were reportedly considering trading their No. 2 draft pick for DeMarcus Cousins.
— Have you seen the ‘Lakers Nation’ phone case? —
The team ended up taking D’Angelo Russell partially in hopes of fixing their front court via free agency. Even with plenty of players off the market, the Lakers are reportedly not looking to reconsider bringing on Cousins according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
As of now, Lakers haven't revisited DeMarcus Cousins trade talks w/ Kings. And Kings aren't looking to trade him.
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) July 4, 2015
The Lakers have previously insisted they wouldn’t consider trading Russell away in a trade. They fell in love with the Ohio State product during the pre-draft process and have high hopes for their high selection. Mitch Kupchak said he would love to see Russell’s jersey among the Lakers greats while Byron Scott believes Russell has super potential written all over him.
Outside of Cousins, the Lakers could also try to work out a trade for the Indiana Pacers’ Roy Hibbert or the Golden State Warriors’ David Lee. Free agents Kosta Koufos, Amar’e Stoudimire, and Jason Smith also remain as possible options for the Lakers in the thinning market.
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