As the Los Angeles Lakers continue their exhaustive search on the replacement for the injured DeMarcus Cousins, the team now appear to be narrowing down their options. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, potential big man recruits Dwight Howard and Joakim Noah have not only worked out individually with L.A., but that both guys have actually left quite an impression on the team.
Lakers completed workouts and meetings with Dwight Howard and Joakim Noah on Thursday and have Mo Speights at the team’s facility today, league sources tell ESPN. Both Howard and Noah left impressions that they could be helpful to the team.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 23, 2019
As soon as news on Cousins' potentially season-ending ACL injury broke, Howard and Noah were two of the top names that stood out as prospective additions by the Lakers. True enough, the Purple & Gold have wasted very little time, and now appear to be closing in on their decision.
Howard played only nine games with the Washington Wizards last season due to a lingering back issue. He was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies just last month, who in turn are expected to waive the 33-year-old sooner rather than later. Howard's history with the Lakers is forgettable, to say the least, and this might just prove to be a significant factor when the front office makes its final decision.
For his part, Noah continued his comeback trail last season with the Grizzlies, playing 42 games throughout the campaign. He is a far cry from the two-time All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year he once was, but he still has enough gas left in the tank to be considered as a serious contender for the coveted slot that recently opened up in L.A.'s roster.
This is not exactly the start to the new era the Lakers were hoping for, but it does seem like they should be able to recover quite well from this early blow.
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