DeMarcus Cousins added to the plethora of Warriors riches by agreeing to sign with the back-to-back champs on Monday. Many felt LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers missed out on an opportunity to sign the talented big man, but we might have the whole thing wrong. Reportedly, the Lakers weren't interested in Cousins.

The Warriors and Cousins agreed on a one-year, $5.3 million contract, and Marc Stein of The New York Times reports that the Lakers could have had the four-time All-Star for a similar price, but elected to pass. From Stein:

Word also reached us Monday night that LeBron's Lakers, after signing Rajon Rondo away from New Orleans and then losing [Julius] Randle to the Pelicans, had an opportunity to sign Cousins at a one-year price point similar to the one that landed him in Golden State. But I'm told the Lakers passed, clearing the way for the Warriors to infuriate the basketball public yet again.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst echoed the sentiment on Twitter, saying that the Lakers simply weren't interested in Cousins.

It may seem odd that the Lakers, who have clearly accelerated the rebuilding process by adding LeBron, were content passing on one of the league's most dominant offensive players at such a relatively cheap price. But you have to remember that Cousins is recovering from a torn Achilles -- one of the most traditionally devastating NBA injuries -- and might not return until next January. At 270 pounds (listed weight), Cousins would probably take a while to get back into the swing of things, so you're really talking about two months -- maybe three if they make the playoffs -- with Cousins in the fold.

LeBron's four-year deal (player option for the fourth year) indicates a willingness to show some patience, so perhaps the Lakers felt throwing Cousins into the mix late in the season would disrupt whatever chemistry their team might have built throughout the season. They also want to keep their cap space for next summer -- with several big free agents potentially coming on the market -- so a multi-year deal for Cousins was probably never an option.

As the Warriors proved this past season, their sole focus is the playoffs. They have the luxury of slowly incorporating Cousins, and they're hoping that he'll be able to jell with the nucleus they've done such an excellent job building.

The Lakers, who are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2013, apparently didn't want to take that risk.