NBA Rumors: Lakers To Sign Marcus Morris Twin, Cousins Out

The Los Angeles Lakers waiting for the right buyout candidate has finally paid off. Though they were unable to land Marcus Morris, they may be getting the next best thing - his twin brother Markieff. The 13th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft has reportedly agreed to a buyout with the Detroit Pistons and the Lakers are the frontrunners to sign him.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Morris will take on a backup power forward role with the Lakers. This would allow Kyle Kuzma to focus more at small forward. The 6-foot-8 cager needs to clear waivers first before the purple and gold can make their move.

Related to that, most know that the Lakers have a full 15-man roster. Though head coach Frank Vogel initially said that he is looking forward to seeing DeMarcus Cousins play in the postseason, those plans are now officially off. Ironically, Vogel may have sent hints of a major move when he backtracked on that initial take. It turns out that Boogie is the odd man out since he is still dealing with an ACL injury. Reports of Cousins possibly getting waived came from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.

This season, Morris has played in 44 games averaging 11.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. However, the Lakers will likely want more role-playing duties from Morris - meaning he is expected to help more in the rebounding department. His scoring will be needed but not that much since Vogel has plenty of offensive options.

As for Cousins, the impending exit ends yet another frustrating season for the 29-year-old All-Star. He is unlikely to draw interest for the current NBA season, meaning it may be in his best interest to get healthy first. The best the 6-foot-10 cager can do right now is hope that some team would express interest in the summer, allowing him to start fresh anew.

The decision to get Morris is understandable. The Lakers need as many healthy bodies as possible. Though it still does not fulfill their intent to get a playmaker, Vogel will just have to make the necessary adjustments. LeBron James is likely to be in charge of playmaking duties with other players adjusting from there. For Morris, the move is beneficial since it could net him an NBA ring.