Report: Lakers may target Cousins on short-term max deal

With Paul George seemingly headed back to Oklahoma City, the Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly looking elsewhere for a potential free-agent complement to LeBron James.

The Lakers are likely to target DeMarcus Cousins on a short-term max deal, sources told The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor. Cousins had reportedly all but resigned himself to returning to the New Orleans Pelicans on a two-year deal.

The big man is coming off a season in which he averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks, but he's also returning from a torn Achilles tendon, a potentially career-altering injury that has sapped his market.

Some reports have suggested that James signing with the Lakers is contingent on them landing another superstar, either via trade or free agency. With George apparently off the table and the Lakers and Spurs in a holding pattern on Kawhi Leonard trade talks, Cousins looks, at the least, like a solid stopgap.