Avery Bradley has confirmed he is out for the NBA season restart in Orlando so the Lakers are forced to look for a suitable replacement. Almost automatically, the name DeMarcus Cousins popped out and it's highly likely that Boogie could return to the Los Angeles roster. But the problem is the big man seemed unwilling to play.
That was the subject of the circulating reports in the past days. NBA insiders said Cousins has some teams inquiring if he is ready to join for the games in the bubble city. The center, however, is more inclined to pass as his focus is to recover fully before engaging in competitive plays again.
According to Bleacher Report, Cousins' camp has already sent out word that "will sit out the resumed season and continue rehab for a full return in 2020-21."
The update was course through Shams Charania of The Athletic.
If true, the decision made by Cousins was understandable. His tale in the NBA has been plagued by a series of injuries in the past few years so the latest he suffered, a torn ACL, in August 2019, seemed an eye-opener. The All-Star sure wants to play again and finally get his NBA ring but he'll do it with utmost care the next time around.
It is wise for him then to choose full recovery and get himself to the best form in time for the next season, which the NBA said will commence in December.
So for the Lakers, Cousins is not an option anymore but as claimed by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the title-hungry team could be looking to sign J.R. Smith, who played with LeBron James at Cleveland.
Smith is a free agent so hiring him is not a problem and already mentioned, Purple & Gold would want to believe that Smith's previous collaboration with James for the Cavaliers is a big advantage. The targeted recruit should find it easy to adjust to the Lakers' ways and hit the ground running immediately.
Per the same report, Smith was seen a few months back biking with James and Anthony Davis, and the scene should be a hint to the Lakers front office that the trio would naturally blend when campaigning for Los Angeles on the hardcourt.
The Lakers replacing Bradley with Smith is a good move, and that came from Stephen A. Smith. According to Fadeaway World, Smith's addition is something that the team will embrace readily.
"He's actually a really, really good guy and a lot of guys in the locker room would have a lot of love and respect for him and I'll think they'll welcome him aboard and I think that's a huge plus," the journalist was reported as saying.
And it goes without saying that James' having a good connection with his former Cavs teammate is a bonus by itself.
