NBA training camps start next week, the preseason starts on October 3, and the regular season is less than a month away.
Yet, 4x NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins remains unsigned.
He is still a free agent to sign anywhere.
During the 2018 NBA season (the last time he made the All-Star game), Cousins averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.
He was unbelievable from a statistical standpoint, and the Pelicans that season were a really good team.
However, playing in his 48th game of the season that year, he tore his Achilles.
From that point on, injuries continued to creep up on the now 31 year old.
After recovering from the Achilles injury, he played on the Golden State Warriors during the 2018-19 season and averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
Good numbers.
Before the 2019-20 season he tore his ACL and missed the entire year.
Last year, he played 41 games for the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers and averaged 8.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
Therefore, he proved that he can still help an NBA team.
Who should take a look?
In my opinion, the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers should give him a shot.
Why?
Brooklyn: They are a team that is competing for an NBA Title with Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant. Cousins has played on several teams like that (Warriors and Clippers) and was a former borderline superstar himself. Considering they already have Blake Griffin, Paul Milsap and other former All-Stars that are out of their prime, he'd fit right in. They should bring him in for training camp and if he impresses give him a shot to make the roster. Maybe injuries creep up on the veteran Nets team as the season progresses.
New York: The Knicks are always a name to keep an eye out for when it comes to superstars, and even though Cousins is not a superstar, he'd be worth a gamble. The Knicks have suddenly found relevance in the NBA again. It's the first time in nearly a decade that they are being talked about for actually being a good basketball team. They were the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference last year, and have a young team on the rise. There are also veterans like Derrick Rose that have made a huge impact. Maybe under Tom Thibodeau, Cousins has a similar resurgence as Rose did when he turned into an excellent role player last season.
Indiana: The Pacers have a team full of solid but not great players. They are good enough to contend for a top-four seed, but they also could easily miss the playoffs if the ball does not bounce their way. Even if everything goes well and they got a really good seed in the Eastern Conference Playoff race, they have no chance at actually winning a tittle or making the NBA Finals. Cousins is a big name, and a player who was once among the NBA's best, he'd give the fans a name to get excited about and could potentially be a huge piece of the team. If he even shows a flash of his former self then that is a really good player.
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