Report: Lakers Likely to Keep Dwight Howard Over DeMarcus Cousins Next Season

The Los Angeles Lakers currently have time to look at the 2020-21 NBA season, with a new report indicating that a re-signing of veteran center Dwight Howard appears more likely than another deal with DeMarcus Cousins.

On the “Brian Windhorst & the Hoop Collective” podcast, ESPN’s Windhorst stated (at the 50-minute mark) that he doesn’t believe that Cousins is under consideration by the Lakers for next year due to the uncertainty surrounding his health.

“I don’t think DeMarcus Cousins is looking at a make-good contract, even if it’s more than a minimum,” Windhorst said. “I think that after a series of injuries he’s had, all of which indicates that he’s coming back too fast, doing too much, he needs even more time of coming back from this. He’s gonna have a job in the league, but I don’t think it’s gonna be of big money.”

Windhorst also indicated that the Lakers appear content to see what the 34-year-old Howard has left.

“I would think the Lakers are interested in keeping Dwight Howard around to see if they could squeeze another year out of him at this point,” Windhorst said.

Howard was averaging 7.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game when the season was suspended on March 11.

While those numbers are a far cry from his glory years, they’ve blended well with the contributions of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, with the Lakers having won 49 of their 63 games.