DeMarcus Cousins Rumors: Lakers, Mavericks Expected to Pursue Star in FA

The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers have New Orleans Pelicans big man DeMarcus Cousins atop their offseason wish lists as the 27-year-old approaches free agency.

Speaking on the Dunc'd On Podcast (h/t RealGM), the New York Times' Marc Stein reported there is a strong belief Cousins will remain with the Pelicans but that the Mavericks and Lakers will be the two teams pushing the hardest to sign him.

Cousins appears to have found a comfort zone in New Orleans. He's averaging 25.5 points and 12.6 rebounds, and he has expanded his offensive game, connecting on a career-best 2.2 three-pointers a game.

The Pelicans haven't had many problems fitting Cousins into the same frontcourt with Anthony Davis, either. According to NBA.com, the team has a 3.9 net rating when those two are on the court.

Throw in the fact the Pelicans have the sixth-best record in the Western Conference (22-20), and offering a max contract to Cousins makes sense.

It's not really a surprise the Lakers would try to make a run at the three-time All-Star. Brook Lopez is in the final year of his contract, and signing Cousins would speed along the Lakers' rebuild—assuming they can sign another star this summer.

The Mavericks, on the other hand, are a bit of a head-scratcher. While Dallas has struggled to find a productive center after DeAndre Jordan changed his mind and re-signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, bringing Cousins aboard might prove counterproductive.

The Mavs aren't just one piece away from title contention; they're multiple pieces away. And as well as Dennis Smith Jr. has played, he may not be the kind of franchise cornerstone around whom Dallas can focus its entire long-term future.

Tanking—at least for a year or two—is arguably the Mavericks' best strategy. By signing Cousins, they'd risk potentially being good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to seriously challenge for a top-four seed, which is the worst place for a franchise to be in today's NBA.