The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly didn’t offer DeMarcus Cousins a deal after he recently worked out for the team.
Cousins is now reportedly signing with the Guaynabo Mets of the Puerto Rican professional basketball league. He plans to play in the spring season for Guaynabo in an attempt to find a path back to the NBA for next season.
“Cousins stayed in shape this season and had a workout with the Los Angeles Lakers but never got an offer to sign a team after playing 48 total games with Denver and Milwaukee in the past two years,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski wrote.
The Lakers opted to sign veteran big man Tristan Thompson and guard Shaquille Harrison prior to the end of the 2022-23 season to give themselves some depth for what they surely hope will be a deep playoff run.
Cousins, who was a member of the Lakers’ roster for part of the 2019-20 season (although he did not play due to injury), was passed up.
A four-time All-Star, Cousins last played for the Denver Nuggets in the 2021-22 season and has been a free agent for the entire 2022-23 campaign.
In 48 games in the 2021-22 season, Cousins made seven starts and played 15.0 minutes per game. He averaged 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.0 percent from the field.
He spent time with the Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021-22 campaign, showing that he’s willing to take on a smaller role for a contender.
Injuries have derailed Cousins’ promising career, as the former No. 5 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft tore his Achilles in the 2017-18 season after making four straight All-Star teams.
Cousins eventually returned from the injury to play for the Golden State Warriors, but he wasn’t nearly as dominant as he was earlier in his career. Then he suffered a torn ACL that cost him the entire 2019-20 season.
It appears the Lakers were more comfortable going with Thompson, who has played alongside James in several playoff runs during their time with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It will be interesting to see if Cousins is able to convince an NBA team to take a shot on him for the 2023-24 season. For his career, he averages 19.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
