NBA free agent DeMarcus Cousins is back to looking for a one-year deal on short money.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski discussed Cousins’ circumstances on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt last night.
Van Pelt: There’s not a lot left (in free agency). There are some big names left. Boogie Cousins, a couple years ago, he would have been one of the prizes. Now, here he sits. Is there a market for him?
Wojnarowski: There’s not a market for him, Scott. I think he thought, he hoped, that a big market team would strike out. That that team would have cap space and he could get a one-year, $12 – $15 million deal. That’s not happening. The mid-level exception he got in Golden State last year? I don’t think that’s there.
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The team that immediately comes to mind here is the Knicks, who are a big market team that struck out in free agency. They could give Cousins a chance to rehabilitate his career, offering big-time minutes but the team just signed Julius Randle, who is a younger version of Cousins.
There was mutual interest between Cousins and the Celtics last summer, but Boston is hell-bent on having the most happy-go-lucky locker room in the league next season following the Kyrie Irving mess. Adding a veteran like Cousins to that locker room could disrupt chemistry.
That said, the Celtics desperately need another big man. The Enes Kanter signing was a nice move for Boston’s offensive attack, but the threat of Giannis and Joel Embiid taking advantage of the Celtics down low is very real.
The Lakers remain an option for Cousins, as does a return to the Warriors.
Unfortunately for Cousins, right now he’s looking at signing for the veteran minimum or slightly more.
