DeMarcus Cousins’ release from the Los Angeles Lakers will not necessarily mean the end of his time with the team.
Shams Charania of Stadium reported on Saturday that the four-time All-Star big man plans to remain with the Lakers for the remainder of the season to continue rehabbing his torn ACL. Charania adds that the team has valued Cousins’ presence around the locker room, the front office, and ownership.
Marc Stein of the New York Times had previously noted that Cousins was expected to be granted access to continue using Lakers facilities with NBA rules allowing a waived player to continue rehabbing with that team.
The 29-year-old was just released by the Lakers to make room for forward Markieff Morris on the roster. But the team has also had at least one similar situation in the past where Xavier Henry was allowed to continue rehabbing with them after being waived in 2014. With how close Cousins is to some core team members, it makes sense that they would want to keep him around.
