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Report: Lakers waiving DeMarcus Cousins, setting sights on Markieff Morris

February 21, 2020 at 10:49 p.m. EST
The Lakers plan to waive center DeMarcus Cousins, who has yet to suit up for Los Angeles this season, according to reports. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

The Los Angeles Lakers plan to waive center DeMarcus Cousins, who is rehabilitating a torn ACL, in order to add veteran forward Markieff Morris, according to ESPN.

Cousins suffered his injury in August, a month after signing a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Lakers, and hasn’t appeared in a game this season. He was hoping to earn some time on the court in the playoffs this spring.

“We got a big team. It’s going to be some bump, for sure,” the four-time all-star said on Showtime’s “All the Smoke” podcast with hosts and former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. “We got so many guys with different abilities. I mean, I can spot up. [LeBron James] is going to draw everybody whenever he decides to move. I’m pretty confident I can knock down the shot. We got shooters all over the floor. I mean, I can play-make. Like, it’s pick your poison."

Morris, who reached a buyout agreement with the Detroit Pistons on Friday, is expected to sign with the Lakers if he and Cousins clear waivers Sunday. Morris is averaging 11 points and 3.9 rebounds over 44 games this season and will reportedly surrender the remainder of his salary for the next two seasons ($4.3 million) to Detroit.

Signing with the Lakers means Morris would share the same home court (Staples Center) as his twin brother, Marcus, who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers.

“That’s my brother man. Man, if he goes to L.A., then I’m gonna be in Staples Center all the time,” Marcus said. “I think maybe to y’all it might be weird that I’m going to all his games, but that’s what’ll probably happen. And we’ll probably get a house together.

“If one of us wins, we both win. That’s how we look at it. Obviously, I’m a Clipper, I’d love to win, we’re definitely gonna be competitors, but we’re both gonna work hard. It’ll probably be the first time where two players from two different teams are actually working out together. That’s gonna be cool.”

Cousins has returned from serious injuries numerous times. He spent a significant portion of last season with the Golden State Warriors rehabbing a Achilles tear from January 2018. He played 30 games before tearing his left quadriceps in the first round of the playoffs but worked his way back to play in the NBA Finals in June.

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