DeMarcus Cousins wants to play again in the NBA and doesn’t understand why he is not getting a chance.
To prove his value on the court, Cousins is taking his talent to Puerto Rico, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins is signing with the Guaynabo Mets of the Puerto Rican Professional Basketball League, sources tell ESPN. Cousins, 32, will play this spring there to continue to try and find a pathway back to the NBA.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2023
Cousins — a two-time All-NBA, four-time All-Star player — will get touches, jumping to a 1-8 Mets team in need of points and wins (the Puerto Rican spring league runs through June, with playoffs it can stretch into August). He showed some offensive game in his last NBA season, 2021-22, when he averaged 9 points and 5.6 rebounds in about 15 minutes a night across time with both the Bucks and Nuggets, in a backup role.
The combination of age (32), leg issues, and a question from GMs if his play is worth the possible disruption — something Cousins said is part of his past now — has held teams back from signing him. Teams have increasingly leaned into younger, more athletic and less traditional athletes as backup centers, not more traditional bigs such as Cousins.
Cousins will get the chance to prove his worth in Puerto Rico, collect a few checks, and be ready to go for an NBA training camp. If he gets that call.