Though big names such as LeBron James and Paul George have dominated free agency headlines, no one may have a more intriguing summer in store than New Orleans Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins.
One of the most unstoppable offensive forces in the NBA, Cousins is sure to get paid in free agency, but coming off a torn Achilles adds uncertainty into the mix. Still, there were expected to be a handful of teams interested in his services but according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Cousins is “very likely” headed back to the Pelicans once free agency begins on July 1.
The Dallas Mavericks were previously highlighted as one of the teams that could pursue Cousins once free agency begins due to their glaring absence of a capable center. However, they now seem fixated on bringing in veteran DeAndre Jordan, reducing Cousins’ options even further.
Though on the surface it appears Cousins may be heading back to the Big Easy after all, it remains to be seen how much the Pelicans are willing to pay him. Skill-wise, there’s no doubt about Boogie’s standing as a max-contract caliber player but his serious injury paired with the Pelicans’ effectiveness without him in the lineup will complicate things.
The 27-year-old Cousins put up his typically dominant stats through the first half of the season, posting monster per game averages of 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds alongside Anthony Davis. However, interestingly enough, it was after Boogie went down that the Pelicans took off. Davis went on an absolute tear and the addition of Nikola Mirotic helped propel them into the postseason where they completed a first-round sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Throughout the run, head coach Alvin Gentry and company deployed Davis at center, something that worked incredibly well. It was up in the air as to whether the Pelicans would risk the cohesiveness they had built with that unit by bringing Cousins back into the mix but it doesn’t seem like a concern for them.
Both Davis and Cousins are two of the best big men the game has to offer and have proven to work well together. If they can continue to get outstanding contributions from players such as Jrue Holiday and the sharp-shooting Mirotic, the Pels will be a dangerous force to reckon with in the West next year.
