Despite Star-Studded Roster, Coach Steve Kerr Reveals Why Warriors Signed DeMarcus Cousins

After Paul George, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul re-signed with their respective teams, all eyes were on LeBron James and his next controversial decision. It didn’t take long before James made up his mind and inked a four-year, $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Just when everyone thought all the highlights of the 2018 NBA free agency had already happened, another superstar made a shocking decision: DeMarcus Cousins.

On July 6, DeMarcus Cousins decided to join the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors. It is not just the team he chose that was surprising, but also the contract he signed. The Warriors just acquired one of the most dominant big men in the league on a one-year, $5.3 million deal. The move showed how desperate Cousins is to win an NBA championship, but it was later revealed that the All-Star center didn’t receive any offers when 2018 NBA free agency started so he reached out teams, including the Warriors.

Coming off an ACL injury, most NBA teams with salary cap space were worried that DeMarcus Cousins won’t return to 100 percent shape. The Los Angeles Lakers, who could have signed Cousins on a very cheap deal, refused to give “Boogie” a contract because they wanted an immediate contributor. Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr revealed how he learned about the news and why they decided to bring Cousins to Golden State.

“I was actually with (general manager) Bob Myers when it all happened. I drove up from my home in San Diego up to L.A. for free agency — we were going to meet with somebody else — and Bob called me and said, ‘You’re not going to believe this, but we have a shot at DeMarcus Cousins. It caught us all off-guard, and we just felt like we didn’t have enough All-Stars,” Kerr said, as reported by USA Today.

One (more) final thought on Cousins: You could argue that Houston should have picked him up just to keep him away from Golden State, but I'm told they had zero interest. Considered a bad fit. https://t.co/lQHCmlL3mj

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 4, 2018

The addition of DeMarcus Cousins will give the Warriors a starting lineup featuring five NBA All-Stars. Coach Steve Kerr believes the Warriors are not the only ones who will benefit with the deal, but also Cousins. While giving Golden State a strong chance of winning their third consecutive NBA championship, the Warriors could put Cousins in a great position for free agency next summer.

Cousins is targeting to return on the court before the start of training camp, but the Warriors told him that there is no need for him to rush everything. The Warriors want Cousins to be 100 percent recovered when the real battle begins in the postseason.