NBA Rumors: Lakers Pick Up DeMarcus Cousins, Bring Rajon Rondo Back

The Los Angeles Lakers may have missed out on Kawhi Leonard, and a chance to create the super team of the century, but the Purple and Gold are as busy as ever shoring up the rest of their roster in free agency.

With depth a serious concern in a legitimately stacked Western Conference, the Lakers went out to give LeBron James and Anthony Davis some help around them. Los Angeles reportedly will sign DeMarcus Cousins and bring back ex-Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. This comes one day after L.A. came to terms with Danny Green on a two-year contract.

The Cousins signing reunites the center with Davis, his former teammate with the New Orleans Pelicans. The deals give the Lakers some much-needed veteran depth. If Cousins can work back to his old self before his Achilles injury, it could give L.A. a pretty formidable trio in their own right. Cousins averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, but his 27.4 three-point percentage was his worst since 2014-15. Rondo, who also played with Davis and Cousins in the Big Easy, averaged 9.2 points with eight assists last season for the Purple and Gold.

It’s clear the Lakers were big losers in the Kawhi Leonard news, but it appears the battle for L.A. very much is on.