NBA Rumors: DeMarcus Cousins Could Form Clippers’ ‘Big Three’ With Kawhi Leonard & Paul George In Free Agency
Despite hinting at a desire to play in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, most people believe that DeMarcus Cousins’ 2019-20 season is officially over after being waived by the Los Angeles Lakers to make room to sign Markieff Morris. As of now, all eyes are on what Cousins is planning to do in the offseason when he is once again set to hit the free agency market. Though the season is far from over, several NBA teams have already been linked to “Boogie,” including the Los Angeles Clippers.
In a recent article, Matthew Schmidt of ClutchPoints mentioned the Clippers as one of the best landing spots for Cousins in the 2020 NBA free agency. The Clippers may currently have one of the most talented and deepest rosters in the league, but they are still expected to continue finding ways to address the weaknesses of their team.
“If there is one area where the Clips can use some help, it’s at the center position, where they have Ivica Zubac and not much else. To be fair, the Clippers employ small-ball lineups most of the time, with Montrezl Harrell and Marcus Morris both capable of playing the 5, but it would be nice for LA to have some more established size. Cousins has already proven that he is okay with deferring, as he was the fourth option (at best) on the Golden State Warriors last season.”
The Clippers may have found success in a small-ball lineup featuring Montrezl Harrell at the center during the 2019-20 NBA season, but he is a clear liability when going up against dominant big men from other powerhouse teams like Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. Though they recently revealed their plan to bring Harrell back this summer, it still wouldn’t hurt the Clippers to seek help from a player of Cousins’ caliber, especially if they could convince him to sign the veteran minimum deal.
Cousins may have spent the past two years dealing with multiple injuries, but when he’s healthy, he would undeniably be an incredible addition to the Clippers. Since entering the league in 2010, Cousins proved to be a very reliable scoring option, rebounder, facilitator, rim protector, and floor-spacer. With plenty of time to recover from his injury, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Cousins was in perfect shape before the start of the 2020-21 NBA season. Once he regains his All-Star form, Cousins could form LA’s “Big Three” with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and give the Clippers a better chance of fully dominating the Western Conference and winning the NBA championship title.
