Golden State Warriors big man DeMarcus Cousins is set to become a free agent this summer, but unlike many of his contemporaries, he probably won't have a very long list of suitors.
Cousins tore his Achilles while with the New Orleans Pelicans in January 2018, and as a result, he generated virtually no interest on the free-agent market last offseason, which was why he had to settle for a one-year deal with the Warriors.
The 28-year-old returned from his injury this past January and was productive, but he was not all that consistent. In the playoffs, he suffered another injury, this time tearing his quad.
Cousins would go on to return early from the injury in the NBA Finals, but he clearly was not 100 percent.
Still, with an offseason ahead of him to heal, Cousins should begin to return to normalcy by next season.
One team that may very well pursue him this summer is the Los Angeles Clippers, and here are three reasons why they should consider it.
3. He'll be cheap
One thing about DeMarcus Cousins is that he likely won't land a big contract this summer.
While he probably won't have to settle for a one-year, $5.3 million deal like last year, he surely won't be receiving any monster offers, which means that the Clippers could sign him along with another superstar player. (Like Kawhi Leonard, perhaps?)
Los Angeles has the cap room to sign one max free agent, and if it dumps the contract of Danilo Gallinari, it can afford two.
Now, whether or not the Clippers can then, in that instance, sign two max players and also land Cousins completely depends on the market. But the gist here is that Cousins will not be that expensive, much to his dismay.
2. He now has NBA Finals experience
One of the biggest knocks against DeMarcus Cousins has always been his attitude, but he was certainly on his best behavior during the NBA Finals. While he was very inconsistent, his performance was admirable considering how banged up he was.
Now that Cousins has some Finals experience under his belt, he should be an asset to any team looking to make a title run, as people always wondered just how Cousins would handle life on a contender.
Well, we've seen it first hand, and Cousins did a phenomenal job of keeping his cool and didn't really seem all that bothered by the moment. Sure, his outings in Games 3 and 4 were ugly, but that probably had a lot to do with his quad.
1. We know what he can do when he is right
Pre-injury, DeMarcus Cousins was a regular 25 and 12 guy and was one of the league's most dominant players. Of course, a torn Achilles changes everything for any player, so we don't know if Cousins will ever be able to reach that level again.
However, in Golden State this season, he averaged 16 and eight, and that was as the team's fourth option. Perhaps with a healthy offseason, Cousins can get back to posting 20 and 10 next season?
Again, no one knows for sure if Cousins will ever fully recover. But if he can get back to 80 percent of what he once was, he is still one of the best big men in the league, and he would be a huge pickup for the Clippers, especially if he comes affordable.
Imagine Cousins averaging 20 and 10 alongside of Leonard? Throw in guys like Montrezl Harrell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and potentially another max player, and you have a scary team.
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