The Los Angeles Lakers set themselves up well for life after LeBron James byswinging a deal for All-NBA guard Luka Doncicahead of the league's February trade deadline.
While the Lakers didn't advance out of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, their failures were due to the team's glaring hole at the center position, rather than anything Doncic did to hurt Los Angeles' chances.
The Purple and Gold did their best to address this issue at the trade deadline as well, but as we know, thetrade they made with the Charlotte Hornetsfor former first-round pick Mark Williams was ultimately rescinded due to issues stemming from the center's team physical.
Former Lakers C DeMarcus Cousins Chooses Jalen Brunson Over Luka Doncic
All of the above makes what former Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins had to say about Doncic even more perplexing as he explained why he would rather have a player like New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson as his teammate than the Slovenian star.
"I'm [going to] take Jalen Brunson because he's still playing [in the playoffs]," Cousins said during an appearance on FanDuel TV's Run It Back (h/t @ClutchPoints). "That's obvious. One guy's at home and one guy's playing."
DeMarcus Cousins on would he rather have Luka Doncic or Jalen Brunson 👀
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints)May 20, 2025
"I'mma take Jalen Brunson because he's still playing. That's obvious. One guy's at home and one guy's playing."
(via@RunItBackFDTV)pic.twitter.com/Yb0npjNf4T
To Lou Williams' point in the video, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic isn't playing anymore either after the Oklahoma City Thunder eliminated his team in seven games, but that doesn't change the fact that the Nuggets' big man is, arguably, the best player in the world today.
Cousins was a fantastic player before injury issues derailed his promising career. He was set to be a focal part of the 2019-20 Lakers until an offseason ACL tear ended his campaign before it began. With that in mind, this is another great example of how a star player's opinion doesn't always line up with what others would suggest is conventional thinking.
There is no doubt that Brunson is a great player. However, to suggest that you'd rather have Brunson on your roster rather than Doncic because the Knicks are still alive in the postseason is just a ludicrous stance to take. Cousins, who played nearly 700 games while making four All-Star appearances, should know better.
Cousins can have Brunson, as Lakers fans will be happy to move forward withDoncic running the show.
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