Lakers Rumors: Breaking Down Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins' Futures

DeMarcus Cousins' Los Angeles Lakers career could end without him ever taking the court for a game.

After signing a one-year deal with Los Angeles last July, Cousins tore his ACL in a preseason workout a month later. Meanwhile, veteran center Dwight Howard, who signed with the Lakers following Cousins' injury, has gone on to have a solid season on his return to Los Angeles. And that could have an effect on the route the Lakers take in the offseason.

On his recent podcast, ESPN's Brian Windhorst discussed the potential future for Cousins, who has played only 78 games since the start of the 2017-18 season.

"I don't think DeMarcus Cousins is looking at a make-good contract, even if it's more than a minimum," Windhorst said (h/t Aegir Svensson of TalkBasket.net). "I think that after a series of injuries he's had, all of which indicates that he's coming back too fast, doing too much, he needs even more time off coming back from this. He's going to have a job in the league, but I don't think it's going to be big money."

Windhorst noted that the Lakers are more likely to keep Howard rather than bring back Cousins, who remains a "mystery" with what they'll get from him.

When Cousins is healthy, he can be one of the top centers in the NBA. He's a four-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA selection who has averaged 21.2 points over 565 games in his career, which began with the 2010-11 season.

But teams have been hesitant to give Cousins, who is now 29, a long-term deal, after also signing a one-year deal with Golden State prior to the 2018-19 season. He played only 30 games in his one season with the Warriors.

Howard, who is 34, has been a solid role player in his second stint with the Lakers. He's averaging 7.5 points and 7.4 rebounds in 62 games, coming off the bench in all but two. It's been a bounce-back season after Howard played only nine games in his sole season with the Wizards the year before.

If Howard returns to the Lakers for the 2020-21 season, it would mark the first time he has played consecutive seasons for the same team since playing for the Rockets for three seasons from 2013-16.

And Howard has enjoyed his time back in Los Angeles.

"Every time I step out on the court, I just want to give this team 135 percent," Howard said earlier this season, according to Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints. "I want to get every rebound. I want to block every shot. I want to make sure I get all my guys open and just bring the energy every single night. I just want to keep that up and take advantage of every moment that I have to play this game."

Because this reunion between Howard and the Lakers has gone so well, it would not be too surprising if Howard is back in the purple and gold in 2020-21.