DeMarcus Cousins has been looking for someone to give him a shot for the 2022-23 NBA season, and he may get his wish soon enough.
Cousins, 32, suited up for the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets last year. In his backup center role, he played between 14 and 17 minutes per game and averaged nine points per outing on 46 percent shooting from the field.
In addition, with the Nuggets specifically, he shot 32.4 percent from beyond the arc while averaging 5.5 rebounds per game.
Kevin Love just had a bidding war break out for him while averaging 8.5 points on 38.9 percent shooting from the field and 35.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc in 20 minutes of action per game.
It stands to reason that if multiple teams wanted Love, Cousins should be able to find a place in the league as well. Yes, his beef with Chris Paul and other notable character red flags leave something to be desired, but that’s par for the course with former stars. And his recent body transformation can’t be ignored.
There are two teams with very clear needs for a backup center. The first team to keep an eye on is the Sacramento Kings. Trey Lyles, Chimezie Metu and Richaun Holmes are currently Domantas Sabonis’ backups, but none bring anything consistent to the table.
There was chatter ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline that Sacramento wanted to deal Holmes, but nothing ever materialized. A buyout now seems unlikely – unless the Kings decide to bring Cousins home.
Obviously Cousins’ relationship with the Kings in the lead-up to him getting sent away to the New Orleans Pelicans wasn’t great, but he did enjoy the best years of his career there. And he would fill a need for the organization.
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If not Sacramento, the Golden State Warriors make a ton of sense. There is history there as well, and James Wiseman’s departure leaves an opening in the middle.
Earlier in the year Cousins was linked to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the arrivals of Jarred Vanderbilt and Mo Bamba render that a no-go. Similarly, the Nuggets’ acquisition of Thomas Bryant closes the door on a potential reunion there.
It will be interesting to see how the market develops for Cousins in the next few weeks. If teams are still clamoring for Love and veterans like Serge Ibaka, it’s tough to see why he can’t get another look.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
