NBA Trade Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers could trade DeMarcus Cousins as part of a salary matching deal

What's the rumor?

The 2020 trade deadline is quickly approaching, and the Los Angeles Lakers are believed to be interested in signing either a wing or ball handler. Due to a lack of cap space, the Lakers would have to send matching salary to complete a deal, and ESPN's Kevin Pelton has predicted that the Los Angeles will offload DeMarcus Cousins in order to facilitate a potential deal:

The only All-Star from the past two years who will be traded is injured center DeMarcus Cousins, as part of the Lakers' matching salary in a deal. That would rule out, among others, Drummond, Russell, Kevin Love and Kyle Lowry.

In case you didn't know...

As a 5-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins is considered one of the best bigs in the NBA, although the 29-year-old's career has been derailed by injuries over the past two years. In January 2018, Cousins suffered a torn left Achilles and was subsequently ruled out for an entire year. Cousins finally made his return in early 2019 as a member of the Warriors, although he missed much of the playoffs after tearing his quadriceps in the first round.

Due to his ongoing injury issues, Cousins struggled to generate much interest as a free agent last summer, and the former Pelicans man eventually signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Lakers. However, Cousins tore his anterior cruciate ligament during preseason workouts and was subsequently ruled out for the entire regular season.

The heart of the matter

Cousins has recently returned to on-court activities, and Frank Vogel has stated that the veteran could still feature at some point this season. However, even if he returns, Cousins won't be close to his best, and it makes sense for the Lakers to include him in trade talks if it helps them land a player that can help deliver a title this season.

What's next?

The Lakers are back in action on Friday, in what will be the team's first game since the tragic death of Kobe Bryant.