More on DeMarcus Cousins Free Agency
Candace Buckner: I’m hearing that #Wizards interim president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard spoke briefly with free agent DeMarcus Cousins recently in Las Vegas. The conversation was described as just small talk but still — a very interesting development.
But as he still remains available, Cousins reportedly has been in contact with star players of other teams. "I'm told he's had direct communication with some star players of other teams, one being DeMar DeRozan of the Spurs," The Athletic's Shams Charania said Tuesday.
Vincent Ellis: Feeling around the league is McGee is waiting on #Lakers. Boogie Cousins, as well.
During an interview with NBA TV, The Athletic's Shams Charania spoke on why Cousins is still without a team. He then said Cousins has been in contact with several players including DeRozan. "There are several teams that are intrigued by DeMarcus Cousins." "I'm told he has had direct communication with several star players from other teams. One being DeMar DeRozan of the Spurs."
Mike Fisher: SOURCES: #Mavs do not plan bid on Boogie Cousins in Free Agency 247sports.com/nba/mavericks/…
However, it appears teams are thinking twice in signing him after he also went down with an injury during their 2019 NBA Playoffs campaign, raising question marks about his health. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN recently revealed that the market is not looking good for the All-Star center. “There’s not a market for him,” Wojnarowski said of Cousins. ” I think he hoped that some big market teams would strike out, they’d have cap space and he could get a one-year, $12M, $15M, $18M, $20 million deal. That’s not happening. The mid-level exception he got in Golden State last year? I don’t think that’s there.”
DeMarcus Cousins sat at his locker inside Oracle Arena after the Golden State Warriors lost the 2019 NBA Finals and contemplated his uncertain future. While the four-time All-Star enjoyed his lone season with the Warriors, getting paid this summer will likely mean finding a new team. “I don’t know. I’m open-minded. We will see what happens,” Cousins told The Undefeated about the possibility of returning to Golden State.
Seven NBA teams have expressed interest of varying levels in Cousins, according to a source. The New York Knicks have serious interest in Cousins, a source said. The Los Angeles Clippers are also intrigued, a source said. Both teams have significant cap space.
According to the New York Times, the Knicks have mulled a one-year max offer for center DeMarcus Cousins, but an NBA source said the interest is mild. According to a source, team president Steve Mills wants players who fit the bill of being able to tutor their young players.
League sources confirmed to SNY that the Knicks are also considering making a significant short-term offer to DeMarcus Cousins. But some in the organization have said that going after younger players like Randle and Portis is a priority that's ahead of pursuing Cousins, who will be 29 at the beginning of next season.
Marc Stein: The Knicks are weighing the prospect of extending a considerable one-year offer to Warriors free-agent big man DeMarcus Cousins if they miss out on top target Kevin Durant, league sources say
Other free agents on the Knicks’ radar include their own free-agent center DeAndre Jordan, Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins and twins Markieff and Marcus Morris. New Orleans Pelicans forward Julius Randle and the Knicks also have mutual interest, according to sources.
And Cousins would never be more needed. Fresh, you’d assume, off a summer to get his body in a better place, Cousins would step into a much higher usage role if he returned, no longer ceding shots to Thompson and Durant. That could be appealing to both sides. “I’m open,” Cousins said. “I could absolutely foresee a place for DeMarcus here, if he wanted to come back,” Kerr said. “But it’s about his goals, what’s out there for him.”
Once Cousins becomes a free agent this summer, though, he suggested he may want to ride this roller coaster again. “I’m open,” Cousins said. “We’ll see what happens.”
The Warriors have never expected to re-sign Cousins simply because they could only pay him about $6.3 million because of salary cup rules. While the verdict is out on Cousins’ market value, it is likely the Warriors might be priced about. Then again…. “It was a weird summer last summer. So you never know how things work out,” Cousins said. “I’m open and I’ll make the best decision for myself and my family. We’ll see which way the wind blows.”
What did Cousins learn? He did not share specifics other than he learned more about his himself, his craft, the Warriors organization and how the business operates. Cousins hoped the general public learned a few things about him, though. “I’m a team guy. I can sacrifice and do what’s best for the team. I control the things I can control. Ill be ready when my name is called upon,” Cousins said. “This is what I’ve always wanted. I’m grateful to be able to say I got to be in this moment. It was a lot of fun. This atmosphere is incredible. I look forward to being in it again whatever that may be. I really enjoyed it.”
Shaun Livingston, meanwhile, is openly contemplating retirement at 33. Andrew Bogut, 34, is headed back to the Sydney Kings of Australia’s National Basketball League. DeMarcus Cousins is headed for free agency, too, but is widely considered unlikely to return.
Anthony Slater: Could DeMarcus Cousins return to the Warriors next season? “I’m open (to it)” pic.twitter.com/CIyn0VK1HZ
Joe Lacob: My great hope is that Klay, as with Draymond and – frankly – KD; all of them who are guys that you’re referring to. …And frankly, I love DeMarcus Cousins too. I mean, he’s another guy who (he’d like to keep). (But) we can only do what we can do within the framework of the collective bargaining agreement. We really like our players – each and every one of them. Draymond has been with us since the beginning. There’s a certain place in my heart for him. Same with Klay. And all I was trying to say by that is that I really personally like them a lot for what they bring to the table. That’s a personal comment, and I really want to see them stay – to be Warriors for life and hopefully build statues for them.
Anthony Slater: Another playoffs spent watching his team while his left leg is immobilized, another summer of intensive rehab, another free agency where he’ll find the market depressed. An agonizing last 15 months (and next 9 or so) in DeMarcus Cousins career.
Connor Letourneau: If DeMarcus Cousins is done for the postseason, his chances of re-signing with the Warriors would go up significantly. Have to think the free-agency market for an injured Cousins would be tepid, at best.
Or it may end this summer, when Cousins, Durant and Thompson are all expected to be free agents (assuming Durant opts out of the $31.5 million last year on his contract). The players may agree to stay together or choose to seek out other challenges. The buzz from various executives, scouts and media members suggests that Durant is ready to move on. Thompson, if offered the max, will stay. If not, he too could exit. The Warriors may not be able to match market value for Cousins.
"Not many of these wings or point guards are going to want to partner with LeBron," said an assistant GM. "LeBron's best chance at getting another star with him is going to be Anthony Davis, Boogie Cousins, the bigs."
"Right now, I don't give a sh*t!" @boogiecousins talks about his impending free agency on "Posted Up" w/ @ChrisBHaynes
In the event they are relegated to pursuing second-tier free agents, ESPN’s Tim McMahon said on the “The Hoop Collective” podcast there are rumblings of DeMarcus Cousins being a possibility for the Lakers, in addition to DeAndre Jordan: “That’s definitely a rumor out there. DeAndre Jordan, too.”
I've heard rumors that Cousins might re-sign with the Warriors next year in order for them to get Bird rights so he can get bigger money in 2020. What have you heard Mr. Thompson? Marcus Thompson: I've heard Cousins is really happy and that bodes well for the chances of him taking a pay cut again. Still slim, I'd say.
Nate Duncan: "For the Anthony Davis sweepstakes, Boston and Los Angeles are in there...Are there any other teams outside of those two that could realistically get in that mix?" Chris Haynes: "No team is concrete. Obviously there's some teams looking and lurking. L.A. Clippers, they're being really aggressive out there. They're looking at Kawhi Leonard. They're looking at Kevin Durant. Obviously they're monitoring the Anthony Davis situation, they're monitoring DeMarcus Cousins - seeing how he's gonna progress through the achilles injury."
Cousins was expected to sign a max extension last summer prior to the injury. He is hoping to show prospective teams that he is fully healthy in anticipation of landing a big extension this summer, all while potentially helping Golden State to a third straight title.
Allow me to also pass on one of the wildest predictions I’ve heard lately, from one wise insider, who thinks even DeMarcus Cousins will consider re-upping with the Warriors for one more season despite the (comparatively) minuscule raise they can offer on Cousins’ current $5.3 million salary.
Cousins’ doesn’t. It isn’t a secret. His time with them will be brief. The Warriors are the powerful trampoline to the payday he had ripped away by last season’s nightmare injury. Cousins is the brass knuckles under Mike Tyson’s boxing glove, the extra force they can use to bully toward a fourth title. “I honestly don’t think about (free agency),” Cousins said. “I’m focused on becoming healthy. That’s my main focus right now. After that, it’s helping this team make another run. Everything that’s going to happen in the summer, I’ll wait until the summer.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr made it clear on Thursday that the team won't have the money to re-sign center DeMarcus Cousins next summer. On Friday, his general manager wasn't so quick to shut the door. Bob Myers told Greg Papa on "Warriors Pregame Live" that he would not rule out Cousins' return to Golden State next summer.
"Options are open, Pap, like anything," Myers said Friday evening. "If you would've asked me a year ago before this if he was gonna be an option for us, I'd say, 'No way, that's crazy!' But he came. He came for a lot less than [what] his market value was. "These type of predictions -- good or bad -- are pretty fruitless because you just don't know. You don't know what's going to be going on on July 1, 2019. You don't know if it's going to be better than you think ... but it's not going to be what you think. So, with a guy like DeMarcus, who knows? If he wants to come back, let's bring him back."
Logan Murdock: Steve Kerr on DeMarcus' 1-year deal with the W's:“We made no bones about it when we signed him. This is a 1-year deal and we're not going to have money to sign him next year so we'd like to help him win a championship and sign a great contract somewhere else. That's the reality."
Can you see DeMarcus Cousins possibly returning to the New Orleans Pelicans as a free agent next offseason? Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis can. "He will be a free agent next year. Hopefully, down the line we can reconnect," Davis told ESPN's The Undefeated on Wednesday night after a 131-121 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Davis, Gentry and Cousins had an animated discussion after the Pelicans' loss to the Warriors that Gentry said was just old friends laughing and trash-talking. "I think the world of him," Gentry said. "I think he is the best player at his position in the league." Another issue is that Cousins and Pelicans general manager Dell Demps have a relationship in need of repair and have not talked since Cousins' departure, sources said.
DeMarcus Cousins: pic.twitter.com/WEuu6cbfgl
One of those guys that’s coming up as a free agent was a free agent this summer. Signed a one-year deal, Kevin Durant. He could have signed longer. I think I predicted he’d sign a two-year deal to get a larger number. Any concern that he only signed a one-year deal and now he’s going to hit free agency? And he might hit it pretty hard next summer. Joe Lacob: That’s a two-edged sword, right? Sure, I think we would have liked to have had him be here longer, sign a long-term deal. On the other hand, we’re happy to have him. By him signing a one-year deal, it save us a little bit of money, actually, right? So, it allows us to do some other things. Like, maybe we wouldn’t have DeMarcus Cousins, right? As an example. KD’s been great. He’s my hero, man. He’s been a really good partner for us. He’s taken a little, as you know, a little bit of a discount over the last few years that has allowed to do a few extra things. I’m never going to forget that.
Logan Murdock: DeMarcus on potentially coming off the bench: "If that's what happens and helps the team, yes." "I understand the situation that I'm in right now and I'm okay with that. I'm here to win and help win games."
The Warriors have no such expectations with Cousins. Next summer — assuming they bring back either Klay Thompson, Durant or both, which would cap them out — they can only give Cousins a 20-percent raise, which jumps him from $5.3 million to around $6.4 million. If he returns healthy and looks like even 80 percent of the player he was before last January’s Achilles tear — an outcome both the player and team desire — Cousins will command way more than that max Warriors number, likely in the high teens per year. And he won’t be in the discount mood, understandably, considering all the money he lost out on this summer.
Question: So you just got a call that morning (you signed Cousins) — can you take us through how it went down? Bob Myers: We talked, I talked to his agent Jerry (Akana) in the morning, and he said: “What are you guys trying to do?” And I said: “What are you trying to do?” From there, I was honest, I said there’s not a lot we can do. Then hearing from there they were open to (taking the mid-level exception), that was the first moment where it looked like there was a possibility it would happen. Then I talked to DeMarcus pretty early that morning. That was really just the beginning of it, just (wondering) if it was something he’d really consider. Hearing his voice, hearing his conviction, it made it real to me.
“It’s a case of the rich get richer. Boogie never reached out to us,” said one Western Conference executive. “I don’t think it was a case of anyone trying to disrespect Boogie. It was more so shock. Like this guy is really available?” He continues, “It’s great for Golden State. Great for Boogie because he gets to rehab with the best team, basically have a strong second half … and get paid next summer. Great for them … terrible for the rest of us.”
Ethan Strauss: From what I was told, nobody could find Klay.
Monte Poole: It’s official: DeMarcus Cousins just signed a one-year contract with the Warriors.
Drew Shiller: DeMarcus Cousins: “I’ll do whatever it takes to help this team win ... every player’s goal is to win a championship.”
Drew Shiller: DeMarcus Cousins: There might be games where I only get four shot attempts. There might be games where I’m the leading scorer
League sources say that Cousins rebuffed New Orleans' offer of a two-year contract extension in the $40 million range after the injury but before the season ended. When that offer was declined, sources say, New Orleans took it off the table.
Word also reached us Monday night that LeBron’s Lakers, after signing Rajon Rondo away from New Orleans and then losing 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.
Fletcher Mackel: Truth & nothing but the truth: Pelicans DISCUSSED numbers w/ Boogie & his reps. Cousins camp didn’t like those numbers. Both sides agreed, test FA. Humbling experience for DC. NOLA pivoted to Randle. Pelicans wanted sign & trade deal. Boogie & his camp walked. Took GSW $5.3 mil
What about the Pelicans? A league source says New Orleans did make a two-year offer to Cousins after he suffered his season-ending Achilles' injury -- but the offer came at the end of the Pels' season, not this past weekend. (Don't know specifics on the offer, like options, etc.)
DeMarcus Cousins: To the CITY and FANS of Nola, Thank you! 🙏🏾
Cousins to the Warriors will likely be a one-year experiment for an NBA powerhouse that has won three titles in the past four years. If Cousins is healthy and plays at an elite level, he can hit the free-agent market again next summer seeking a big contract. But Boogie to the Bay Area will soon be a reality. Believe it or not. “I feel amazing. The crazy thing is it has been tough for me. But I’m just happy to be with the champs,” said Cousins, who has never played in the postseason.
“I was f—ed up,” Cousins said. “I said to Jarinn, ‘Let’s make a call.’ He was shocked. It was very insulting to not receive an offer. But I understand. I prepared myself for this.” So around 8 a.m., Cousins said he called Warriors general manager Bob Myers. This is not a misprint. Myers cannot talk about free agents until they can sign with teams on Friday. But when Myers can speak, boy does he have a story to tell. Imagine Myers picking up his cellphone and a man with a deep voice says, “Hey, this is DeMarcus Cousins … got a minute?”
“A winning culture and togetherness got us DeMarcus,” Durant told The Undefeated via text. Cousins said: “This was my ace of spades. This was my chess move.”
Adam Himmelsbach: According to a league source, the Celtics never made an offer for DeMarcus Cousins. They’d heard he might have interest in Boston, and by the time they started to look into it, he was a Warrior.
Will Guillory: Let me clarify: DeMarcus Cousins and the Pelicans never had a formal meeting, so there may not have been an official offer on the table. But numbers were discussed and there was an understanding of what each side was looking for. To say the Pels didn't want Boogie is not true.
That is not what happened. DeMarcus Cousins, an All-NBA behemoth, fell into the laps of the two-time defending champions over a chaotic few hours during which the market collapsed on him -- so fast, several members of Golden State's brain trust (including some very close to the innermost sanctum) had no idea the deal was coming. The Minnesota Timberwolves paid more for Anthony Tolliver, and hilariously hard-capped themselves in the process.
They didn't. The Pelicans had a tentative meeting scheduled with Cousins in the coming days, per sources close to the situation. That will obviously not happen. Perhaps they had decided they simply did not want Cousins coming off an Achilles tendon tear, having seen what the stretchy and fast Mirotic-Davis combo could do without him. The fact pattern suggests a limited interest, at best.
A number of teams had a No Cousins policy before he tore his Achilles. That number grew as teams feared committing to what might be a less explosive version of him. Remember: Any contract inked as part of a sign-and-trade must encompass at least three seasons. That might have been too long for teams that would have to send out some meaningful asset for him.
Portland and New Orleans had very preliminary talks about a sign-and-trade, sources say, but Portland's salary target is murky and it might have pushed for at least one non-guaranteed year. As ESPN's Chris Haynes reported, the deal never got off the ground -- in part because Cousins and Jusuf Nurkic, Portland's incumbent free-agent center, share an agent.
By the middle of Monday, Cousins' people were calling teams and pitching deals: one-year, $15 million in one place, per sources, other numbers in other places. Clearly, there was not much interest. It might be that the richest deal easily and quickly available to him was that full midlevel exception contract starting at around $8.6 million.
Kent Bazemore: You cannot win with this social media stuff. You guys take life wayyy too serious. Have some fun and stop quitting every time the odds are stacked against you. Small high school, mid major, undrafted. Just another day in the life. #Goodnight
Checking around tonight, I heard that the Warriors themselves were initially not overly confident that Cousins would accept their offer. He was, after all, talking to the Kings about a super-max deal last season before he was traded, and was eligible to receive a five-year, $180 million deal from the New Orleans Pelicans, though it’s unclear if he was offered anything close to that, especially given his injury.
What I heard: The Warriors executives are almost as stunned as everybody else right now. Happy stunned, but stunned.
Enes Kanter: Mood: All around the League 🤦♂️
Enes Kanter: Wouldn’t be surprised if I see BREAKING: Warriors just signed Thanos and John Wick to add to their bench for one year. Lol
Bobby Portis: But Chris Paul couldn’t come play w Kobe LOL man stop it 🤣😂🤦🏾♂️
Alex Kennedy: I was talking to a big man who's currently a free agent when news broke that DeMarcus Cousins is joining the Warriors. The player didn't believe me, laughed, told his friends, then said, "They might as well cancel the NBA season. Can we just get our paychecks for the year now?"
Marc J. Spears: Golden State Warriors newcomer DeMarcus Cousins told ESPN's The Undefeated that he had no significant contract offers when free agency arrived, but had already mentally prepared himself for possible disappointment due to his recovery from his Achilles' tendon injury. Cousins...
Chris Haynes: ESPN Sources: Portland and New Orleans had discussed the possibility of a sign-and-trade for DeMarcus Cousins, but a road block existed since he shares the same agent as RFA Jusuf Nurkic.
Marc J. Spears: DeMarcus Cousins tells @TheUndefeated that going to the Warriors was “his Ace of Spades” and he made the “smartest move ever.” More on @SportsCenter coming shortly.
CJ McCollum: Just turned my phone on .... @DeMarcus Cousins whats goin on bruh? .. hit my line ..we gotta talk about this
According to Second Spectrum tracking, Cousins' average touch last season saw him hold the ball for 2.6 seconds, far longer than the Warriors' centers. Bell had the longest average touch time of those players at 1.7 seconds. For that matter, Cousins' touches were longer even than those of Draymond Green (2.2 seconds on average). At the other end of the court, Cousins isn't ideally suited for Golden State's switch-heavy defense. Per Second Spectrum tracking, Cousins switched on just 46 screens all of 2017-18, 2.7 percent of the screens he defended. Even Pachulia, the slowest-footed of the Warriors' centers last season, switched 13 percent of the screens he defended. So Steve Kerr will want to avoid putting Cousins in situations in which he has to switch.
Eddie Johnson: i have said for years that AAU has ruined the competitive spirit at the college and NBA level. Now we are seeing it and we can't just blame the players. Grassroots basketball has to change by not allowing players from different states to play on the same team. @Sirius XM NBA #nba
Zach Lowe: Have likewise heard this came together quickly -- all today basically -- for the Warriors. Some inside the org were stunned when the news broke/deal became final
Logan Murdock: Seems like @DeMarcus Cousins is hyped to be a Warrior (via @Quinn Cook’s IG)
Chris Haynes: ESPN Sources: DeMarcus Cousins had narrowed his choices down to Golden State and Boston.
Jabari Bird: Really 😐....
Jordan Crawford: A big Cuz... I’m proud of you bro!! You showing ya growth big time
The Warriors’ recruitment was led by Green, who has a strong relationship with Cousins, and general manager Bob Myers, and it included a positive phone call between Cousins and coach Steve Kerr, league sources said. Both Cousins and the organization understood the most critical time of the season — the playoffs — will be the stage in which Cousins shines the most for the Warriors.
