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Well, this could be interesting.
Pending clearance by the NBA, the L.A. Clippers will sign super-talented but oft-injured (and oft-irritated) big man DeMarcus Cousins to a 10-day contract, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Charania reports that the 10-year veteran is in Los Angeles as we speak, undergoing testing related to the NBA’s health and safety protocols in advance of the signing.
The potential move comes in the wake of multiple big men signing with other teams through the buyout market, a circumstance that has left the Clippers with few quality options for bolstering their depth inside.
A four-time All-Star selection from 2015-2018, the notoriously outspoken Cousins would join Ivica Zubac and Serge Ibaka in the Clippers’ frontcourt and theoretically provide rebounding and a low-post scoring threat. Zubac has emerged this season as a legitimate NBA starter at the 5, but Ibaka has been out with back issues since mid-March, leaving the Clippers with little support for Zubac.
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Cousins last saw NBA action on February 17 as a member of the Houston Rockets, scoring 19 points, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking two shots. The Rockets, who are undergoing a major rebuilding phase in the wake of James Harden’s departure, waived Cousins on February 23.
Done in by Injuries
Though just 30-year-old and widely-regarded as a top center over his first seven years with the Sacramento Kings, injuries have been a major issue for Cousins in recent years.
The Kings, who had grown weary of Cousins’ recalcitrant ways despite his elite play, traded him and Omri Casspi to the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2016-17 season for Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and Buddy Hield, plus a first and second-round pick.
The Pelicans were excited to see how the 6-foot-10 Cousins would fare alongside their other superstar big Anthony Davis, but alas, the experiment lasted only 48 games before Cousins experienced his first major injury on January 26, 2018 — a ruptured left Achilles tendon that ended his season and ultimately his time in New Orleans.
While still recovering Cousins was signed as a free agent by the Golden State Warriors in July of 2018 and returned to the court in mid-January of 2019. Though no longer the focal point of the offense, as he had been with the Kings and, to some extent the Pelicans, Cousins nonetheless played well with the Warriors, averaging 16.3 points on 48.0% shooting, 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 30 regular-season games.
Teams Willing to Take a Chance
But the run did not last. Cousins suffered a left quad tear in the Warriors first-round playoff matchup, putting him on the shelf for much of the playoffs. Cousins did, however, return for the entire Warriors series against Toronto in the Finals, playing poorly at times (1-for-7 shooting and three turnovers in Game 3) and well at others (14 points and six rebounds in Game 5) before the Warriors were defeated in six games.
Despite injury concerns and his inconsistent play in the playoffs, Cousins had shown enough for the Los Angeles Lakers to take a chance on him leading into the 2019-20 season. But that test flight didn’t even get off the ground, as Cousins suffered a torn ACL during a workout in August 2019. The Lakers eventually waived him in February of 2020 without ever seeing a minute of game time.
The Rockets signed Cousins on November 30, 2020, and he averaged 9.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 25 games before Houston opted to part ways.
If he signs and stays healthy, Cousins would bring with him to the Clippers impressive career numbers: 20.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists on 45.9% shooting. Though no one would expect him to match that production at this point in his career, anything even close would be a welcome addition to the frontcourt. Question is, can he stay on his feet long enough to make a difference?
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