The Warriors had All-Stars at four of five positions:
- Point guard: Stephen Curry
- Shooting guard: Klay Thompson
- Small forward: Kevin Durant
- Power forward: Draymond Green
And now Golden State will add an All-Star center in DeMarcus Cousins.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Cousins will sign a one-year, $5.3M deal with Warriors, league source tells ESPN. https://t.co/LaTLH3oOTB
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 3, 2018
Cousins – recovering from an Achilles tear – wasn’t getting the offers he desired in free agency. The Pelicans are signing Julius Randle. The Mavericks are signing DeAndre Jordan. The Lakers are signing a pu pu platter of players to surround LeBron James. Few other spending teams need centers.
He probably could have gotten more than the $5,337,000 taxpayer mid-level exception Golden State will pay him, but Cousins wasn’t getting a better chance at a ring and environment to prove himself. Remember, Cousins has never played in the playoffs. He can gain so much next season – except a high salary. But, if all goes well, he’ll generate massive demand in 2019 free agency.
This is a low-risk, high-reward swing for the Warriors. Cousins’ attitude could disrupt their ecosystem, but they’ve dealt with difficult personalities before – maybe more than we realize.
Cousins could also clash with Golden State’s up-tempo, quick-decision preferences, but these Warriors can play multiple styles. Especially as their veterans age, they might embrace slowing the pace.
This will be a fascinating experiment, and – chemistry aside – the floor is a championship-caliber team with Jordan Bell at center. The ceiling? It’s a lot higher than Cousins can jump right now.
LeBron and the Lakers’ moment lasted barely a full day. Golden State is staking an even stronger case as the greatest team of all-time.