“Lakers to pursue Hassan Whiteside instead of DeMarcus Cousins”: Lakers reporters claim LeBron James is set to team up with Kings center

Reports claim that the Lakers will likely team up LeBron James with Hassan Whiteside until Anthony Davis returns from injury. 

Ever since Anthony Davis went down with a right calf strain, the Lakers have been middling. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games, including a devastating overtime loss to the bottom of the barrel Washington Wizards. On the other hand, LeBron James has yet to miss a game and has been racking up his minutes per game ever since AD’s injury. 

In the wake of the Lakers’ regular-season woes, it was reported that former Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins would be parting ways with the Houston Rockets. This prompted the Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor to tweet out that the Lakers may pursue Cousins in free agency. 

Sources: The Lakers will be among the teams to pursue DeMarcus Cousins.

The market will be limited for Cousins, sources say. He has struggled this year after returning from multiple major injuries. But for LA or any team in need of big man depth, few options bring higher upside.

— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 20, 2021

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These reports by KOC got shut down by Lakers reporters Dan Woike and Broderick Turner who believe the Lakers will target another big man. 

The Los Angeles Lakers could go after Hassan Whiteside before the trade deadline. 

The Lakers need to fill the void Anthony Davis has left, at least for the next few weeks. They recently waived Quinn Cook to clear out a roster spot. Reports have come out claiming that they are in the business of working out a deal with the Sacramento Kings for Hassan Whiteside, to fill this empty roster spot. 

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“Don’t expect the Lakers to reunite with Houston center DeMarcus Cousins if he becomes available. The team will however monitor the buyout and trade markets for potential additions to their frontcourt. Sacramento center Hassan Whiteside, who’s averaging 8.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game, is a possible target.

Hassan Whiteside would definitely help out on defense in the frontcourt. He isn’t nearly as mobile or switchable as Anthony Davis on defense but is a big body who will provide a solid paint presence for the Lakers in Davis’s absence.

He did have a solid year with the Portland TrailBlazers last season as they were without Jusuf Nurkic for a majority of the year.