DeMarcus Cousins Bets On Himself Signing With Golden State Warriors On One-Year Deal.
DeMarcus Cousins is willing to bet on his health, while playing for a chance to win his first NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors. ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that DeMarcus Cousins has agreed to a one-year deal with the Warriors. The 27-year-old all-star leaves the New Orleans Pelicans 17 months after they traded for him.
Cousins is slated to make $5.3 million. He will eat up the Warriors’ mid-level exception, which does not count towards the NBA luxury tax. Without any financial penalties, the Warriors saw a risk worth taking. It is a risk that could turn into a third consecutive title, the fourth in five years for the Warriors.
Golden State signing DeMarcus Cousins is a win for both sides.
The Golden State Warriors upped the ante for each of the teams that are chasing them. One of those teams are the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Sunday, the Lakers made the biggest free agency move in years with their addition of LeBron James. Once ESPN announced that LeBron James was joining the Lakers on a four-year deal, it was believed that his presence would make it easy for DeMarcus Cousins and others to join him.
The Lakers were able to acquire JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson, and Rajon Rondo. Each player will help LeBron James and his quest to challenge the Warriors. For several hours what the Lakers did was enough.
Draymond Green was the one who led the recruitment of Boogie to the Warriors, per @ShamsCharania https://t.co/QY9wSWy7uL pic.twitter.com/kivncquevF
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 3, 2018
The Warriors adding DeMarcus Cousins was what the New York Post considers a move to counter the Lakers signing of LeBron James. It was something that the Warriors have done to their Western Conference rivals for the past four seasons.
There must be some caution regarding DeMarcus Cousins. Some of it is his passion for basketball, the other part of the concerns has plenty to do with his health. If not handled carefully, Cousins’ signing has the potential to blow up in the Golden State Warriors’ face.
The version of DeMarcus Cousins that the Warriors are receiving is an all-star player trying to bounce back for tearing his Achilles. Cousins tore his Achilles last January and may not be able to make his Warriors debut until February. Afterwards, Cousins will look to play his way back into shape. He may even have to alter his playing style some.
The perfect storm for DeMarcus Cousins. An unforgiving market place and coming off the injury severely impacted his value.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 3, 2018
The Warriors must not heap lofty expectations on DeMarcus Cousins until he is close to 100 percent. Why the Warriors make sense as a landing spot for Cousins is that they do not have to rush him back. As long as Cousins sit, however, frustration could set in and damage the Warriors’ locker room.
Nevertheless, the Golden State Warriors are willing to bank on DeMarcus Cousins for next April, May, and June. The overall chemistry between Cousins and his Warriors’ teammates should be present due to the fact that he is more selfless of a basketball player than he is getting credit for.
DeMarcus Cousins has decided to take a gamble on his health for the sake of trying to win an NBA championship. It is certain that there were better offers on the table, but this is a risk that could pay off big for him.
