After all the speculation for years about DeMarcus Cousins’ future, it appears as though he will remain a King after all. It was recently reported that Sacramento was gearing up to offer a huge extension to their superstar and now it seems as though he is ready to sign it.
Following from James Ham of CSN California:
CSN California has confirmed through a league source that the two sides have tossed around numbers and that barring a late change in direction by either side, Cousins intends to sign a massive, max-money extension, estimated at roughly $207 million during the offseason that will keep the big man in a Kings uniform long-term.
With the new CBA giving financial incentives to players for staying with one team and the continuous cap spike, Cousins’ always had one big reason to stay in Sacramento. He will make much more money as a member of the Kings than he could if he were to sign with someone else in the summer of 2018.
From the Kings’ perspective, re-signing Cousins is at least somewhat of a risk. He and the organization have had feuds for years now and there are legitimate concerns about his ability to be the face of a franchise as a leader. That’s not to mention that giving up so much cap space to Cousins makes it more difficult to surround him with necessary talent.
But Boogie is the star of a franchise that has had little success for years. It is a franchise that has just moved to a new arena and is in need of marketing to make up for its issues in reaching the postseason.
It’s also worth noting that this is a report based on something that would happen in July. Things could absolutely change based on the Kings’ season and how Boogie’s relationship with head coach Dave Joerger and other members of the Kings’ front office develops.
Cousins’ issues are well known – though very few of them are about his on-court ability – and it is a risk to sign him. It’s also a risk for the big man to agree to give more years to Sacramento when the organization has not done him many favors. But at the end of the day, this is a good sign that they are headed towards the right direction and perhaps DeMarcus Cousins can be the leader for a team fighting for the playoffs this year and beyond.
