The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a devastating blow when DeMarcus Cousins tore his ACL. The gut-wrenching news shatters the hope Cousins would be able to return to the dominant force that he has been for the past decade in the league before he suffered serious quad and Achilles injuries.
He was due to start at center for the Lakers, joining a team with championship aspirations and a need for what Cousins brought to the table.
But now the Lakers are forced to readjust. Cousins won’t be playing this season, and he, unfortunately, may never play in the NBA again. There is a cap that Rob Pelinka has to fill now, in a market that is as dry as the Sahara desert. With little available, the Lakers will have to get creative to address their issue.
They seem fixated on a reunion with Dwight Howard, who is expected to be waived by the Memphis Grizzlies. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
The Lakers and Dwight Howard had a rocky relationship during the big man's first stop with the team, and that is putting it kindly, but times have changed. Howard is no longer an all-star level center and the Lakers front office and roster has been massively overhauled since the veteran's last stint with the franchise.
But another name that has drawn the interest of the Lakers is Joakim Noah, who enjoyed a resurgent season last season. He averaged 7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in just 16.5 minutes per game. He had a meaningful impact on the floor for the first time in multiple years. He is certainly no longer the player he once was, but he reasserted himself as a quality contributor in the NBA. Noah is a leader and plays with a surreal amount of energy. He’d plug in well to the Lakers.
Another big man on the market is Marcin Gortat. Before being waived, he averaged five points and 5.6 rebounds in 16 minutes per game with the Los Angeles Clippers last season. At 35 years old, Gortat is perhaps the oldest yet serviceable candidate on the market. Even with the repercussions of his injuries, Cousins is a much better player than Gortat, but the pickings are slim at this point.
Other free agents include: Nené, Zaza Pachulia, Tyler Zeller, and Amir Johnson.
But the idea and intrigue of Dwight Howard is greater than the supposed value of any of the other options on the table for the Lakers. Once an eight-time all-star, Howard would be the best center available if he were to become an option on the open market.
Last season, Howard appeared in just nine games with the Washington Wizards. He averaged 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds in 25 minutes per game. Even though the sample size was limited, he was still productive enough to be a starting center last season.
He even had a 25-point and 17-rebound performance in a nostalgic-like-performance, reminding many he was once one of the best players in the league. But injuries absorbed his season, and so did a fair amount of drama. It was another fresh start for Howard, that was squandered in the early stages of its beginnings.
But Howard came clean this offseason. He talked about how he has matured over the years, even stating to Shams Charania of The Athletic, “ I don’t have an ego – it’s dead.”
This could mean a lot of things for Howard. It could mean he understands he’s no longer a premier player in the NBA who is worthy of 15 shots per game and superstar billing. It may also mean he is trying to dispel the notion that he is still a worry off the court. And it could also mean that he is focused on playing basketball and not causing issues in the locker room, as he supposedly has in the past.
Assuming Howard is waived by Memphis, he will be joining his seventh team. He hasn’t been able to stick with a franchise since Orlando. Yes, he played three seasons with the Houston Rockets, but Howard was on thin ice during the majority of his tenure there. He’s a commodity at this point in his career and he’ll have to prove that he can be productive on the court without any drama. It doesn't mean he isn't wanted, but teams can play without him.
And if Howard can do those things, he is clearly the best option for the Lakers. He's started 1043 of 1044 career games, and while it could be up for debate who would start between him and JaVale McGee, Howard is the only center on the market who makes that decision a question. Noah, Gortat, Johnson, and the rest of the free-agent centers on the market are backups at this point in each of their careers. Dwight Howard is still good enough to be a starter.
To put it in simpler terms, the Lakers need more talent, and Howard has the most among the available group of free agents. He’s the most efficient scorer, productive rebounder, and would have the most impact defensively.
The Lakers never wanted to be in this position, but they are here now. Time is dwindling and the season is drawing near. Training camp will be here before the blink of an eye. Following that, preseason will begin and rosters will have to be finalized. Rob Pelinka will have to make a decision soon. And the answer should be pretty clear.
Once Howard is waived, the Lakers should be there to sign him right away.
As Charania also reported, the Lakers and Howard were given permission to talk by the Grizzlies, so the interest is there. It also helps reinforce the idea that Memphis will soon cut their ties with Howard. It would be a poor decision to sign any other center than Howard. And, hey, maybe the Lakers would be the team to make that mistake. They’ve made plenty under the current regime. But the opportunity seems so clear that it feels almost surefire they’ll enter the season with Howard.
No one would’ve guessed it, but the NBA is more unpredictable than ever in this day and age. Dwight Howard is soon to be a Laker, and it makes a whole lot of sense for the two to reunite.
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