clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Attorney for DeMarcus Cousins says harassment charges against him have been dropped

Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins has had the charges against him in Mobile, Alabama dropped, according to his attorney. He still may face consequences from the NBA under its domestic violence policy.

If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Sacramento Kings v Los Angeles Lakers Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

Los Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins has had misdemeanor domestic violence charges filed against him by a former girlfriend dropped, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

The Mobile, Alabama Police Department first issued a warrant for Cousins in August after TMZ reported that Cousins he threatened to kill his former girlfriend during a phone call on Aug. 23. TMZ posted audio which they say is Cousins speaking to her, and she reportedly filed a restraining order. The NBA said it was looking into the allegations, although the league denied an earlier report that it was trying to facilitate Cousins’ surrender. On Friday, the league said they were still looking into things:

The Lakers declined comment when the allegations surfaced, and Cousins has been a visible presence at games and practices this season, often shooting off to the side with assistant coaches during media availabilities as the team tries to keep him integrated into their organization.

Cousins was signed by the Lakers in July after spending the prior season with the Golden State Warriors. He tore his ACL in August and is likely to miss the entire season, although Lakers Head Coach Frank Vogel recently said that the team wasn’t closing the door on Cousins coming back this year, something he reiterated on Friday:

If Cousins attempts to do so, he may face further hurdles beyond the legal system, as Bobby Marks of ESPN points out that even with the charges against Cousins being dropped, he still may face consequences as a result of the league’s domestic violence policy:

Even in the wake of this, there is still no guarantee that Cousins will be with the Lakers for the rest of the season. Given that he’s unlikely to return to the floor this year as a result of the usual recovery time for ACL injuries and when it occurred, the team may use his contract to even out salary in a trade, or cut him in order to add a player on the buyout market they’ll be surveying closer to the trade deadline in February.

We will update this post with more information if and when it becomes available.

For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Silver Screen & Roll Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of Los Angeles Lakers news from Silver Screen & Roll