After Kobe Bryant's departure from the Lakers, the team started to appear as an underdog in their division. The latest NBA trade rumors hinted that the Los Angeles Lakers might trade in the Sacramento Kings center player DeMarcus Cousins to improve their roster for the upcoming season.

The Blow reported that the Lakers are planning to make a big deal to take off the underdog tag and thus improve their ranking in their division. Reports claimed that the Los Angeles team will now target Cousins as there are rumors that OKC Thunder's Russell Westbrook might not leave his team.

"What the Kings plan on doing with four centers is anyone's guess, but logic suggests they have plans to move one or two of them," said Hannah Kulik, as reported by Lakers Nation. "Could Cousins be first to go, especially if the Kings could secure good young talent to fit around the remaining centers?"

There are reports that the Lakers have kept Brandon Ingram, Tarik Black, and Marcelo Huerta's contracts on hold in order to leave cap space and accommodate the big player, in this case, Cousins into their team. However, there are reports that the Lakers might not opt to part with Ingram and will instead offer D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr., and Jordan Clarkson in exchange for Cousins.

On the other hand, even Cousins recently expressed his interest in joining the Lakers team. There are reports that the 25-year-old player has been disappointed with Sacramento Kings for the past few years and is looking forward to joining a new team at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the NBA trade rumors also hinted that the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics are also eyeing to seal the deal with Cousins before the start of the basketball season. However, reports claimed that the Sacramento Kings are not entertaining any offers in exchange for DeMarcus Cousins at the moment.