NBA Rumors: Several Teams Express Interest In Signing DeMarcus Cousins, According To ESPN
All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins are among the NBA players who have seemingly benefited from the NBA hiatus. With the league suspended for more than four months due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cousins got more time to recover from his ACL injury before the 2019-20 season resumes on July 31. With the NBA’s transaction window expected to reopen soon, there is speculation that Cousins is receiving interest from several teams looking to boost their chances of making a deep run in the 2020 playoffs.
In a recent appearance on ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN talked about several topics, including the possible plans of Cousins. Though Cousins and his agent, Jeff Schwartz, are yet to release an official statement whether he will return in the 2019-20 season or not, Wojnarowski revealed that several teams have already expressed interest in signing him.
“Cousins, he and his agent, Jeff Schwartz—I’m told they’re going to be very careful about where they might commit,” Wojnarowski said, as quoted by Bleacher Report’s Mike Chiari. “There’s teams interested, but they’re going to have to find the right situation for him to come back now, because if they can give him another six months of rehab and preparation for next season, wouldn’t rule him out with a team this year, but it’s got to be the right team, right situation or he just waits until a training camp next year with a new team.”
Cousins may no longer be the player that was once considered the face of the Sacramento Kings’ franchise, yet it’s not a surprise why some NBA teams are itching to get his service for the remainder of the season. When healthy, Cousins would still be an incredible addition to teams in dire need of a frontcourt boost.
Though he isn’t expected to return to his All-Star form this season, Cousins could still help in terms of scoring, rebounding, facilitating the ball, protecting the rim, and spacing the floor. In 30 regular-season games he played with the Golden State Warriors last season, Cousins averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals while shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 27.4 percent from beyond the arc.
If Cousins really returns this season, he would likely choose an NBA team that would give him significant playing time and a realistic chance of winning his first championship title. In his recent article, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report named the top four landing spots for Cousins for the remainder of the 2019-20 season — Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Washington Wizards.
