Golden State Warriors Rumors: DeMarcus Cousins to consider re-signing?
If the latest Golden State Warriors rumors are to be believed, DeMarcus Cousins could opt to re-sign with the franchise he has yet to play a single game for.
It’s January. The 2018-19 NBA season is still in full swing, and the start of 2019 NBA free agency is months away. And yet, the rumor mill is unsurprisingly churning out new Golden State Warriors rumors on a daily basis. This time around, they involve center DeMarcus Cousins.
The four-time All-Star hasn’t even played a game for the Warriors yet while rehabbing a torn Achilles tendon. Still, to the surprise of many, we’re already hearing word that he may decide to stay put next season instead of cashing in elsewhere.
So what gives? Well, here’s the latest from the New York Times’ Marc Stein, who is among the most trustworthy sources in the NBA:
"Allow me to also pass on one of the wildest predictions I’ve heard lately, from one wise insider, who thinks even DeMarcus Cousins will consider re-upping with the Warriors for one more season despite the (comparatively) minuscule raise they can offer on Cousins’ current $5.3 million salary."
Now, as Stein alluded to, the Warriors don’t have much to offer Cousins in the way of an extension. After inking him to a one-year, $5.3 million deal this past summer, they could up that amount to about $6.4 million next season. That’s it — they can’t go over the cap to re-sign him since they don’t own his full Bird Rights.
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Because of that limitation, the assumption has always been that Cousins would follow the money elsewhere. This was supposed to be a one-year relationship — the Warriors get another All-Star to throw into the mix come playoff time and Boogie gets a ring. Simple, right?
Well, now it seems Cousins could throw a wrench in the works by re-signing with the Warriors. That is, assuming Golden State even wants to go in that direction.
Cousins hasn’t played yet, and there’s no guarantee he’ll return to his old form after suffering what many consider to be a back-breaking injury for big men. If he doesn’t look like the Boogie of old once he makes his triumphant return, the Warriors may decide he isn’t worth the money it’ll cost to bring him back in 2019-20.
In the meantime, though, it certainly adds a wrinkle to what will certainly be a wild 2019 offseason for Golden State. They’ll have to navigate through the free agency of both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, while trying to keep their luxury tax bill from bankrupting ownership. Trust me when I say those costs would look pretty steep if Durant and Thompson are re-signed.
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Will Cousins be back in the Bay Area in 2019-20? Probably not. To think that it’s even an option, though, makes speculating about the upcoming offseason all the more intriguing. For the time being, let’s just take it for what it is: a rumor.