NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis Hoping To ‘Reconnect’ With DeMarcus Cousins Next Summer, Per ‘ESPN’
DeMarcus Cousins was given the opportunity to reunite with former Kentucky teammate Anthony Davis when the New Orleans Pelicans engaged in a blockbuster trade with the Sacramento Kings in February, 2017. At first, Cousins and Davis were having a hard time sharing the court, but they managed to build good chemistry in their second season of playing together.
Unfortunately, the DeMarcus Cousins-Anthony Davis frontcourt tandem in New Orleans didn’t last long after “Boogie” decided to leave the Pelicans in the recent free agency. After Cousins suffered a season-ending injury, the Pelicans backed out with their plan to give him a maximum contract, forcing the All-Star center to entertain offers from other NBA teams. Cousins ended up signing a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the Golden State Warriors.
On Wednesday night, Anthony Davis faced DeMarcus Cousins’ new team for the first time in the 2018-19 NBA season. As expected, the Warriors won the game despite not having “Boogie” on their roster. In a post-game interview with Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated, Davis talked about the possibility of reuniting with Cousins next summer.
“He will be a free agent next year. Hopefully, down the line we can reconnect,” Davis said.
DeMarcus Cousins will once again become an unrestricted free agent next summer and if he manages to regain his All-Star form, he is expected to demand a huge payday. Pelicans’ fans will surely love to hear Anthony Davis’ early recruitment of Cousins, but New Orleans will need to be very creative to create enough salary cap space to sign the All-Star center. As ESPN noted, the Pelicans could be forced to part ways with Nikola Mirotic and Julius Randle in order to bring Cousins back to New Orleans.
Can you envision DeMarcus Cousins back in a Pelicans uniform next season? Pelicans star Anthony Davis told @espn @TheUndefeated he could. https://t.co/hRvxWV7R7C
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) November 1, 2018
Aside from chasing DeMarcus Cousins and other superstar free agents, rumors are currently swirling around the Pelicans about the potential departure of Anthony Davis. After hiring Rich Paul of Klutch Sports as his new agent, there are speculations that Davis could demand a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers and team up with LeBron James. So far, Davis continues to deny the rumors and said that he is currently focused on becoming the most dominant player in the league and helping the Pelicans reach a higher level in the 2018-19 NBA season.
“I got two years to ’20-21. I’m here and whatever happens after that happens,” Davis said. “For me, right now it is about being the most dominant player in the league and helping this team win. You hear all the rumors. You hear all the talk. But it’s not coming from me. I’m here to be a Pelican, help this team move forward and help this team win a championship.”
