The Lakers are dead-set to capture the 2020 NBA title and to bolster their lineup further, the club is willing to trade assets to secure their hold on a prized acquisition. On this mission, Los Angeles is said to be targeting Robert Covington and ready to offer key players in order to seal a swap deal.
The team has already indicated that Kyle Kuzma is open for trade offers, so if Minnesota is willing to listen, Kuzma could be sent to the Timberwolves before the February 6 deadline.
To sweeten the deal, the Lakers could also make two more players available, and they were named by ESPN's Bobby Marks as DeMarcus Cousins and Quinn Cook, according to Fadeaway World.
"The Lakers could package Kuzma, Quinn Cook, and the injured DeMarcus Cousins as part of its proposal for Covington, but it's unclear whether that would be enough for Minnesota, which will try to generate a bidding war in the coming weeks," the report said.
The Lakers wanting to grab Covington is understandable as he is widely viewed as the better or more versatile version of Kuzma. Covington is seen as an able defender and likely tagged by Frank Vogel as more suitable in the Lakers lineup over the long run.
Covington is surely on the scope of other teams, so Los Angeles is expected to ramp up on efforts to get an advantage to bring him over to Hollywood.
It used to be that Kuzma has a safe place on the Lakers roster as according to Clutch Points, the swingman is regarded by the team as part of the core. In the ongoing season, however, Kuzma appeared to be struggling and connecting only 11.8 points per game.
His shooting accuracy so far is dismal at 42.0 percent and more so in the three-point area at 34.6 percent. It seemed that Kuzma is not winning the confidence of Vogel due to inconsistency and mediocre showing, resulting in a measly average playtime of 23.5 minutes a game.
The figures and circumstances mentioned might explain why Kuzma is now on the trading block. Surely, it is the same case with Cousins, who has a one-year deal with the Lakers but just might see the season end without even wearing the Lakers jersey.
That's because the Boogie suffered a torn ACL prior to the start of the season, and there is no telling when he will be ready to play again. If the reports are true, the Lakers might not be willing to wait and move him to interested teams.
Cook is available for trade offers as the Lakers believe his shooting talent will make a difference if not for Los Angeles then for any team with slot to fill.
