Getty DeMarcus Cousins, right
It was something of a surprise to see a report from the Undefeated’s Marc Spears, a veteran NBA writer, saying that after DeMarcus Cousins signed on with the Nuggets on Saturday, the Dallas Mavericks had been interested in bringing him on.
It’s not so much that the Mavs should not have interest in Cousins, a former four-time All-Star who has scrambled to find a team since rupturing his Achilles tendon in 2018 and having knee surgery in 2019, it’s just that the team does not really have a spot on its crowded list of mediocre big men. Besides which, Dallas has a more attractive prospect already on board in Marquese Chriss, who has also struggled to stay with a team in recent years.
The Dallas Mavericks also expressed interest in Cousins, the source said.
Chriss signed with the Mavs on a 10-day contract on December 21, then re-upped with a second 10-day on December 31. That means his time with Dallas could run up on Monday, just as he has appeared to find a role with the team as a second or third big man.
Chriss has appeared in nine out of 10 possible games since he’s been in Dallas, and has averaged 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 12.3 minutes in that span.
Cousins Would Have Made Some Sense for Mavericks
Certainly, given the lack of enticing options in the middle for the Mavericks, Cousins, too, would have made some sense. He does, after all, have career averages of 20.1 points and 10.4 rebounds, and while he is not a great 3-point shooter, he is at least a willing one, attempting 4.2 3-pointers per game in the last seven years of his career.
That’s a dimension the Mavericks are lacking among its big-man crew. But Chriss, too, is a willing 3-point shooter who does not have much luck in making them over the course of his career, though he has shown a better knack in Dallas, where he is knocking down 44.4% on 1.0 attempt per game. Small sample size, for sure—that amounts to 4-for-9 from the arc—but it’s something.
Oh, and Chriss has some talent as a shot-blocker.
Marquese Chriss says ‘no’ to Bol Bol
Either way, the Mavs will watch Cousins head to Denver after having gotten two 10-day contracts with the Bucks and playing well for Milwaukee, averaging 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds, shooting 46.6% overall.
Mavericks Challenged to Find an Open Roster Spot
So the Mavericks remain faced with the problem of finding a way to keep Chriss on board with limited options on hand.
Marc Stein, another veteran reporter, wrote on Twitter that the Mavericks are “still exploring ways” to keep Chriss aboard but Dallas has a full roster and has signed guard Theo Pinson to its open 2-way roster spot. If the Mavs want Chriss to stay on, they’ll need to create a roster spot.
The Mavericks are still exploring ways to create roster room to be able to retain Marquese Chriss after the expiration of Chriss’ second hardship deal, league sources say. Dallas is retaining Theo Pinson by converting his deal to a two-way contract to fill its open two-way spot.
That won’t be easy. The team just decided to pick up the option, on January 7, on the contract for center Moses Brown, who represents one of the chief competitors with Chriss for playing time. Brown could be traded, but if that was the plan, why pick up his option at all?
There has been speculation that Dallas could waive Willie Cauley-Stein, who has not been with the team since November 27 because of an undisclosed personal issue.
That would involve Dallas eating WCS’s $4.2 million salary for this season, though, which the Mavs would obvious rather not do. There is a chance the Mavericks could find a trade for Cauley-Stein, but again, that is a longshot considering his lack of activity.
More likely, the Mavs will have to set Chriss back into free agency and hope that in the month remaining before the NBA’s trade deadline, he does not get signed elsewhere. That could allow the Mavs enough time to clear a spot and bring Chriss back.