Los Angeles Lakers News: Coach Luke Walton Approves DeMarcus Cousins Acquisition
The Los Angeles Lakers made it to the news a number of times ahead of this year’s NBA trade deadline and one of these linked them to DeMarcus Cousins. They tried to acquire him but did not pursue because a deal would have included Brandon Ingram. However, in a recent podcast interview, Lakers head coach Luke Walton sounded okay if they added the controversial All-Star center.
Los Angeles was one of the teams that reached out to the Sacramento Kings for Cousins. It was reported that the Lakers were close to landing him and the only setback was the Kings’ desire for Ingram. In the end, no agreement was reached and the 26-year-old was sent to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Perhaps the Lakers’ biggest trade was the deal that sent scorer Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets for Corey Brewer and a first-round pick in this year’s draft.
The addition of Cousins would have been good news for the Lakers because they were hitting two birds with one stone. Los Angeles welcomes a legitimate franchise star it can build around and a big man who will greatly improve its dwindling No. 5 position.
In a recent guesting on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Walton spoke about Cousins and had great words for him, even admitting that he is a fan. He said people are calling the Pelicans star crazy and he likes crazy. He compared him to Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors due to the energy they have.
Walton’s statement, as suggested by Silver Screen & Roll, may have meant that he is good with the Lakers trading for Cousins. The report mentioned as well that now the center may see him as an “ally in Los Angeles” if ever he parts ways with the Pelicans.
This is great news for the Lakers and their fans because it displays the willingness of Walton to coach even if drastic changes happen to the roster. The purple and gold franchise is expected to be busy before this year’s draft and during the offseason as it aims to have a much-improved unit.
As of this moment, there are no new Lakers rumors linking the team to a big name. The Indiana Pacers’ Paul George was the latest to be dragged into the rumor mill, but landing him in the near future could be far-fetched for now.
Other terrific news from the podcast is Walton’s faith in the Lakers’ young core. He discussed the importance of their budding talents to the organization’s future, adding that they had no intentions to deal them away “unless something came along that was too good to pass up.”
D’Angelo Russell, Ingram, Julius Randle, Larry Nance, Jr., and Jordan Clarkson are the main pieces of the Lakers’ young core. Aside from Ingram, none of them was rumored to be in an offer to another team before the NBA trade deadline last February. This was a little surprising since, in the 2016 offseason, Russell, Randle, and Clarkson were always present in trade news and speculations.
In a recent Los Angeles Lakers news, Walton was disappointed Friday when they suffered their sixth consecutive loss in the hands of the Boston Celtics, 115-95. There was one specific play that made the Lakers coach upset when it comes to their defensive effort. During the third quarter, the Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas threw a lob off the backboard to rookie Jaylen Brown who easily finished the fast break with a slam.
The defeat to Boston is bad news for the Lakers as they are now at 19-43 for the last spot in the Western Conference standings. They are almost 10 games away from the eighth spot currently held by the Denver Nuggets.
[Featured Image by Rick Bowmer/AP Images]
