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DeMarcus Cousins has taken plenty of heat for his decision to join the Golden State Warriors as a free agent this summer, and looking back at his recent predicament, he didnāt back down from it.
āYeah, I am a Warrior now,ā wrote DeMarcus Cousins in a personal letter in The Playersā Tribune. āIt was the best basketball decision I ever made, and Iāll tell you why.ā
Cousins went on to explain his thought process as free agency hit after saying he had a hand into each of the New Orleans Pelicansā offseason signings in 2017, as well as cheering for his team while he was injured and unable to play.
āThen free agency hit. It was a lot of,Ā We might be interested. We donāt know if itās the right fit.Ā All of a sudden, I wasnāt hearing from the Pelicans. I wasnāt hearing from no one. That was tough. We in a nasty business, at times. I donāt even say that in a good or bad way. Itās just no place to get too emotional. The facts are still the same. I was expecting to be back in New Orleans, and I was proud of what we were starting there.
I couldnāt sleep for two days. When it was clear I couldnāt stay in New Orleans, I went out and created what would end up being the best opportunity for myself. I asked my agent to set up a call with the Warriors. I knew they could use a big.ā
DeMarcus Cousins was offered a two-year, $40 million deal shortly after he suffered his Achilles injury, one that he swiftly turned down after expecting a max contract from GM Dell Demps. Ever since, there was nothing but radio silence when it came to offers, forcing him to take matters into his own hands.
āI called Bob Myers up.
On God, Bob thought it was a prank. He asked us like five times if we were being serious. I broke it down as clear as I could. I told him about the Pelicans and how nothing was making sense anymore. I told him it was like other teams were treating me like I didnāt have a career left after the injury.
And I said Iād take the minimum. I just wanted a team that wanted me. I was telling him: I wanted to play on the biggest stage and make the most impact I could. After that, Bob wasnāt thinking it was a prank.ā
Boogieās decision might be one heās chided for during the entire NBA season, whether heās actively seeing the floor or not, but the big man has never been one to back down from criticism or let it take a hit on his play. Heās playing with house money, but heās the type to go big or go home, a sentiment he shared with the rest of this roster.