LA Lakers Rumors: D’Angelo Russell And Top NBA Draft Pick Could Be Traded For This Big Man

The LA Lakers already have a lot of rumors swirling around them, and the current NBA season isn’t even fully over as of yet. It may be done for them, but the playoffs are still going on, and will be for a while still. Now, there is a lot of speculation that the Lakers are going to end up trading their expected high pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and that could be in a deal including D’Angelo Russell so that they could land DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings.

With rumors already being passed around that the Lakers would try to trade for Jimmy Butler or Kyrie Irving, there are other options out there.

Roy Hibbert has spent one season in Los Angeles, and that partnership didn’t work out nearly as well as the Lakers had hoped. That’s why the big changes coming to LA need to include a different big man in the lane, and that could be DeMarcus Cousins.

Last season, Cousins averaged 26.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks-per-game for the Kings, and that was a career high for him in points. The Lakers could easily use someone with his size, strength, and talent in Los Angeles, and he still has a lot of years ahead of him.

The experiments that the Lakers tried last year with Hibbert and Brandon Bass simply didn’t pan out, and the youth of Julius Randle needs some help. Cousins provides that.

One other good thing is that the Lakers are going to be getting a brand new coach since Byron Scott was just fired. It’s clearly evident that Cousins didn’t have a good relationship with George Karl in Sacramento, and the Kings ended up letting him go.

No, he wasn’t released due to his poor relationship with Cousins, but more so the lack of good seasons for the Kings. Still, DeMarcus Cousins is a unique type of player that needs a coach who knows how to handle him and not let him take control.

Currently, the Lakers are looking for a new head coach and as long as it’s not Karl, then Cousins landing in Los Angeles could work.

The Lakers do have a lot of salary cap space, and that’s one good thing, but they need to make some trades work to bring in the right pieces. At the time, they have what is likely going to be a high pick in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft.

That pick will remain with the Lakers if it’s in the top 5, but outside of that, it would go to the Philadelphia 76ers due to the Steve Nash trade. That’s one big bargaining chip, but Sportsrageous states that D’Angelo Russell is also on the trading block, and one that could be dealt away.

He really is a great talent that the Lakers had a lot of faith in, but this past season was nothing like they were expecting. Byron Scott said he had a lot of “maturing” to do, but the Lakers may not have any more patience for that.

On the other hand, Morning News USA believes that the Lakers could end up keeping Russell if they wanted to give him more time and still land DeMarcus Cousins. That high draft pick holds a lot of weight, and Lou Williams packaged with it could be enticing enough for the Kings to bite.

Last year, DeMarcus Cousins was involved in rumor after rumor, and he never ended up leaving the Sacramento Kings. With George Karl gone, some feel as if the big man will stay pout for another season or two. The LA Lakers have long had an interest in him though, and their high pick in the 2016 NBA Draft is great trade bait. Then again, so is D’Angelo Russell who didn’t live up expectations and caused some locker room trouble, but has a great upside.

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