Los Angeles Lakers: DeMarcus Cousins worth the gamble at the right price

This offseason is going to be about the Los Angeles Lakers bringing in a second superstar and one name to keep in mind is none other than DeMarcus Cousins.

The narrative surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers for the last two years has been that the front office has always been in pursuit of adding two superstars to the young roster in order to create something that could contend for the NBA Title.

The front office did a good job of securing the first superstar in LeBron James, although he kind of fell in the Lakers’ lap because of the out-of-basketball things that come with playing in Los Angeles.

Regardless, James became a Laker last July and it appeared as if the team was well on its way to accomplishing the goal. What has happened since has been the exact opposite.

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The team has not landed that second star yet, missed the playoffs and were as chaotic as they were frustrating to watch. Now, the Lakers head into the offseason with cap space, room for another star and without President of Basketball Operations, Magic Johnson.

The team’s chances of signing the most lucrative free agents this offseason appear slim. As the offseason approaches and the NBA Playoffs play out, it is becoming more and more likely that the two stars the Lakers can most easily pursue are Jimmy Butler and DeMarcus Cousins.

Both are very talented but both are also worth far less than their value entails due to different reasons. In Cousins case, the Lakers look like the perfect new home but it would not be surprising if the fans did not accept this match.

Cousins was a bargain one-year signing by the Golden State Warriors last offseason as he was coming off an Achilles injury. The move made sense for Cousins, he got to contend for a ring while giving himself one more year to up his value from injury.

Since returning from injury, Cousins has shown some very positive signs that he is his same old self. However, there are also stretches where he does not look like the same guy, although that could be the product of playing with four other all-stars.

The biggest wrench that has been thrown into Cousins plans, however, is yet another injury. Cousins tore his left quadriceps muscle, and while he is unlikely to return for the playoffs, he absolutely should be ready to start all activities for next season.

That injury, mixed with Cousins’ history and his personality, does not make him seem very appealing for the Los Angeles Lakers. However, if the Lakers can look past that, the team could really create something special if they just have to pay market value for him.

Cousins is not going to get a big contract after this injury and it is unclear what he does. He might take another one-year deal or he might take a longer deal that is less annually. Either way, he is worth far less than he would have been if he came out of the year completely healthy.

Unless another team offers him an absurd amount of money that he cannot turn down, which is highly unlikely, then the Los Angeles Lakers should be willing to pursue him. Cousins on a two-year, $16 million deal would be an absolute steal and would still allow the team to make other moves to bring in other stars.

Whether that is trading for Anthony Davis or signing Jimmy Butler, the Lakers would have the space to shave off some extra money to bring in a third star. And while it would need some work personality-wise, a LeBron-Butler-Cousins big three with Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram also in the starting lineup is a scary team.

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And the thing is, the Los Angeles Lakers are kind of forced to take this kind of risk on two big personalities if they want to contend for a title. They already have one foot in this path, it is time to dive completely head first in.

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