DeMarcus Cousins revealed that he did not have a hard time making a decision when he received an offer from the Los Angeles Lakers. Cousins said in a news conference that conversations with superstars Anthony Davis and LeBron James along with veteran point guard Rajon Rondo convinced him to join the team. The 28-year-old center also credited management for putting things “at ease” for him during the free-agency process.
DeMarcus Cousins says LeBron, AD, Rajon, #Lakers coaching staff, & management 'kind of put these at ease' for him in terms of deciding to sign with LA
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) July 11, 2019
The four-time NBA All-Star agreed to a one-year. $3.5 million deal with the Lakers. Cousins targeted a lucrative deal this summer, but health issues last season hurt his chances. He recovered from an Achilles surgery and played 30 regular season games for the Golden State Warriors, where he averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds.
Cousins looked ready to prove his doubters wrong in the playoffs, but he took a hit when he hurt his quad in Game 2 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. He was sidelined for more than a month before making his return in the 2019 NBA Finals, where he posted 8.3 points and 4.7 boards in six games.
There were still concerns about his health this offseason, which is likely the reason why no team prioritized signing him. Cousins declared, though, that he is ready to play all 82 games next season because his quad injury is 100 percent healed.
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