Lakers News: LA Wanted To Sign Veteran Big, Now With Title Contenders
When your Los Angeles Lakers first auditioned veteran centers Meyers Leonard and DeMarcus Cousins in January, they certainly had the option to sign either big man to at least a 10-day deal. But apparently they were not enamored enough to do so at the time (also they had a fully healthy center rotation then), and opted to let both players pursue other opportunities.
Cousins remains unsigned, but Leonard has now linked up with the Milwaukee Bucks for the duration of the 2022-23 NBA season.
It sounds like some sources within the Los Angeles Lakers are trying to retcon their feelings about Leonard now that he's unavailable, as they have informed Jovan Buha of The Athletic that LA had been "interested" in adding him to their roster.
That sure sounds like a rose-tinted glasses recollection of the team's appraisal at the time, given that, you know, nothing was stopping them from signing Leonard two months ago. Through six games with Milwaukee, the seven-footer has been a deep-bench reserve for the club, averaging 4.0 points on .571/.500/.750 shooting splits and 2.2 rebounds.
With 3-and-D reserve center Mo Bamba sidelined for possibly the rest of the season, LA could still use an alternate backup behind Wenyen Gabriel. Most recently, the team worked out ex-Chicago Bulls bigs Tristan Thompson and Tony Bradley on Monday, though it doesn't seem like either player made much of an impression, either.
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