NBA Rumors: Lakers Take Short-Term Chance On Former Warriors Center

KEY POINTS

Damian Jones is considered a temporary fix for the Lakers' big man void
The Lakers could go after Hassan Whiteside instead of DeMarcus Cousins
The Lakers could pull off a trade involving Talen Horton-Tucker and a future pick

The Los Angeles Lakers need a big man and know they have options. Pundits feel that they are waiting on the players who will be bought out, although that may not happen after March 25, the NBA trade deadline.

With Anthony Davis out with an injury, the Lakers are trying out the less heralded players to fill the void. NBA journeyman Damian Jones has been signed on a 10-day contract, a temporary move that may or may not work for the purple and gold.

The former Golden State Warriors slotman takes the place of another former Dub in Quinn Cook. Jones last played for the Phoenix Suns before he was waived last Feb. 23.

If one goes through Jones’ numbers, they are far from impressive. Hence, he could be a patch-up job for now as the Lakers try to buy themselves time. But worth noting here is that Los Angeles (technically) has two open roster spots if the Jones experiment does not work out.

As of this writing, the player on most Lakers fans' minds is DeMarcus Cousins. “Boogie” recently cleared waivers, and a mad race for the all-star player is off. A return to the Lakers, a team he joined last season but never played a single minute with, makes sense. But the problem here is that there are other teams also interested in the temperamental center, including a former team he played for in the Warriors.

If not Cousins, Hassan Whiteside has been mentioned as another target for the Lakers. The shot-blocking demon’s name popped up after some felt the chances of Cousins reuniting with the Lakers was not that high.

Though most feel that the Lakers are playing the waiting game to see who gets bought out, they could still pull off something via trade. They own a 2027 first-round pick and a fancied player in Talen Horton-Tucker. There is interest in the sophomore player, and this is something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks before the March 25 NBA trade deadline. The best bet is a big man unless the purple and gold get one from free agency to help fill their big man void.