The Lakers are right down to only two big men with Anthony Davis out
The l. a. Lakers cleared a roster spot Monday night once they decided to waive guard Quinn Cook, and with Anthony Davis still out thanks to injury, the immediate speculation was that they might look to feature an enormous man to assist affect his absence. the foremost prominent available big man is DeMarcus Cousins, who spent a part of last season on the Laker roster, and reports had already linked the 2 sides for a possible reunion.
But consistent with Brad Turner and Dan Woike of the l. a. Times, Cousins returning to the Lakers is unlikely at now. they're reporting that the Lakers aren't getting to immediately fill Cook's spot, which is sensible. The Lakers are pressed up against the hard cap, and therefore the longer they wait to fill their two vacant roster spots, the cheaper the pro-rated minimum contracts they provide free agents are going to be. which will allow them to stay a couple of extra dollars under the hard cap line just in case they have to form a rather unbalanced trade at the deadline.
A possible target, consistent with Turner and Woike, is Sacramento King's big man Hassan Whiteside. The Kings have fallen to No. 11 within the Western Conference and Whiteside is playing only 14.6 minutes per game, his lowest total since becoming a starter during the 2014-15 season. What he would offer the Lakers at the instant is sorely needed size. they are doing not currently have a seven-footer on the roster, and with Davis out, the Lakers have struggled to defend the rim. Whiteside doesn't defend the perimeter well in the least, but routinely racks up a number of the very best block totals in basketball. Whiteside would likely struggle to earn minutes within the postseason when Davis will likely slide back over to center for the majority of his minutes. However, he could help fill a regular-season void.
The Lakers waived Cook for flexibility in particular else. it had been a symbol that Rob Pelinka believes that this roster must be upgraded. What form which will take remains to be seen, but if he indeed plans to require his time as this report suggests, that indicates that virtually anything might be on the table for the Lakers.
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