The Golden State Warriors managed to pull off the unthinkable when they signed center DeMarcus Cousins to a one-year deal worth just over $5 million on Monday evening. As a result, a whirlwind of speculation has picked up regarding what led to this unlikely unification.
Rumors have surfaced that Cousins made the deal due to a lack of interest from other teams. However, his former coach Otis Hughley feels the star center may have sensed a much grander scheme at work which ultimately led to him joining the Warriors.
Hughley spoke to Brandon ‘Scoop B' Robinson on the Scoop B Radio Podcast saying that Cousins is too smart to let teams get leverage on him:
“I think everybody is trying to play leverage and hoping that everybody would fall out so they could get him for 10 cents on the dollar. DeMarcus is way too smart for that.”
Hughley's comments certainly carry plenty of weight. He coached Cousins at LeFlore High School before the two reunited with the Sacramento Kings. This gave Hughley plenty of time to gauge the four-time All-Star's approach to these situations.
The prospect of teams trying to shortchange Cousins is certainly feasible. Despite being arguably the most talented big man in the league, questions about his attitude seemingly plagued his market value, and the recovery from his Achilles injury raised further questions about his effectiveness moving forward.
It may be difficult to imagine Cousins taking such extreme measures just to get back at the teams who “insulted” him with their offers. However, he managed to do just that by flexing the leverage he and other star players have in today's NBA.
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