Lakers Linked With Veteran Center As Possible Replacement to Injured DeMarcus Cousins

DeMarcus Cousins suffered a torn ACL during one of his private workouts in Las Vegas a few days ago. This put the Los Angeles Lakers into a big trouble, and they have already been linked to a veteran center.

After being linked to many players, including Dwight Howard, it looks like the team has targeted another player. Veteran center Joakim Noah is available on the market, and he may give Rob Pelinka and the Lakers enough talent. Will they call him in?

Shams Charania was the first to report on the case.

“The Lakers are expected to request permission soon to speak to Dwight Howard and there’s mutual interest between the eight-time All-Star and L.A. in wake of DeMarcus Cousins’ torn ACL, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

“The Lakers have been patient in approach since Cousins’ injury, and another accomplished veteran center on the market is Joakim Noah. Howard is expected to be eventually released by Memphis.”

Noah played 42 games in Memphis last year. The veteran center averaged 7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in his 16.5 minutes per game. Noah had a career-high 71.1 percent of his free throws while shooting 51.6% from the field.

The veteran was part of the All-Star team in the East in back-to-back seasons from 2012-14. However, he had hard time staying on a roster.

Noah left the Bulls in 2015-16, and joined the Knicks. However, this wasn’t of great importance for his professional career, because the veteran only played 53 games in two seasons for the franchise.

Many analysts root for Noah, noting that Dwight isn’t a really good option for the team. According to Jorge Sedano, Noah is “a guy who knows how to be a complimentary player.”

The veteran is trying to find himself a home in the league. Cousins’ terrible injury may be the chance he’s been waiting for all the time. Can you imagine seeing Noah wearing Lakers uniform? That would be of big help for the Lakers as they need some of it at the moment. The team has LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but they still need another talented player.