Ex-Laker on team drafting Bronny James: 'Not really serious' about winning

DeMarcus Cousins, who won a championship with the Lakers in 2020, believes his former franchise is "not serious" about winning a title in the 2024-25 season.

The former four-time All-Star made the shocking claim on Tuesday's edition of "Run it Back" on FanDuel TV when asked about the Lakers drafting Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, in the 2024 draft.

Cousins implied that the Lakers drafted Bronny just to appease LeBron, who previously expressed his desire to play with his son, and not with the intent of raising another championship banner. 

"I don't really think the Lakers are serious anymore," Cousins said. "I love everything it stands for [father and son playing together]. I think what Bron is doing with his legacy and as a businessman and everything that comes with it, I think it's a beautiful thing, it's really, really dope. But as far as the Lakers actually competing, I don't know. I take that [drafting Bronny] as a sign that they are not really serious."  

Cousins added that he "expected more" from the Lakers front office in light of how their season ended last year — a first-round loss to the Nuggets. The Kentucky alum felt Los Angeles would have pursued a trade for a big star rather than bringing back most of the same roster with the additions of Bronny and Dalton Knecht.

"They had a lot of concerns last year that weren't really addressed," Cousins said of the Lakers. 

Besides Cousins, others have also made similar suggestions in recent months. One anonymous general manager told ESPN's Baxter Holmes that Bronny "is just not ready" for the grind of the NBA and that he's been "set up for failure" by those in his inner circle.

The Lakers suffered a 111-97 loss to the Warriors in the fourth of their six preseason games on Tuesday. Surprisingly, the Lakers fielded their full rotation of players for the exhibition contest, with Anthony Davis clocking 26 minutes and LeBron James playing 23. The Lakers begin their 2024-25 campaign against the Timberwolves on Tuesday.