Lakers: NBA Insider Reports that Milwaukee is Waiving DeMarcus Cousins

Could there be a Lakers-Boogie sequel?

A big NBA name is soon-to-be available. DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins is going to be waived by the Milwaukee Bucks according to NBA insider Shams Charania. Could the Lakers be potential suitors?

The Milwaukee Bucks plan to waive center DeMarcus Cousins, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Bucks are opting for roster flexibility ahead of league-wide contract guarantee date Friday. There’s expected to be interest in Cousins as a free agent.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 6, 2022

It’s important to note that Cousins’ tenure with Milwaukee did not end on bad terms. Bucks GM Jon Horst lavished praise on Cousins’ ability to help Milwaukee through the COVID tidal wave that is still sweeping through the NBA.

On waiving DeMarcus Cousins to open roster spot for trade deadline, Bucks GM Jon Horst tells ESPN: "We wouldn’t have been able to get through this difficult stretch of the season as successfully as we did without DeMarcus...He was so good for us and hopefully we helped him too."

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 6, 2022

Cousins played in 17 games for Milwaukee after signing with the Bucks on November 30th. He started in five of the contests and average 9.1 points per game. 

During his Bucks tenure, Cousins trailed only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis in rebounds per game (5.8).

The Lakers are no strangers to DeMarcus Cousins. Los Angeles signed Boogie in the summer of 2019. Los Angeles hoped to pair him with former teammate Anthony Davis to create a dominant front court.

Unfortunately, he never played a single game for the Lakers during their championship season after suffering a pre-season knee injury. Los Angeles waived him in February 2020.

The Lakers roster is not a thing of perfection at the moment. Additional maneuvering would need to be done, but there is a small, small chance Cousins finally plays a game for the purple and gold.

Cousins is no longer the force he was in his 20s. Nonetheless, he does give the Lakers another veteran option to help Los Angeles climb the ranks in the Western Conference.