Once it was announced that the NBA would have a transaction window starting today, June 23rd until June 30th, many wondered what playoff teams would do to try and bolster their roster one last time before Orlando. One of the more intriguing names for all teams was DeMarcus Cousins, who continues to try and return from a torn ACL suffered in a scrimmage last summer. This was, of course, following a 2018-19 Golden State Warriors season that had Cousins returning from an Achilles’ tear only to be hampered by quad problems in the playoffs.
If you’re wondering, the answer is “yes”. The Lakers can technically sign Cousins again after waiving him in February to make room on the roster for Markieff Morris. Initially, it was reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic that Cousins would be sitting out the remainder of the season, although his rehab would have allowed him to return. Charania also reported that multiple teams had expressed interest.
However, it was later reported by Tania Ganguli of the LA Times that his agent Jeff Schwartz stated that Cousins hasn’t ruled out any option, with a return still seemingly on the table.
DeMarcus Cousins is weighing whether to sign with a team for the remainder of the season or sit out to extend his rehab time. According to his agent, Jeff Schwartz, he hasn't ruled out either option. More: https://t.co/x54LVttDoS
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) June 23, 2020
Cousins would probably be a welcomed option on many teams throughout the NBA. Even if he may have a little slowness due to constant rehab over the years, you still can’t put a price on having a center with immense size to bang around in the paint. Do the Lakers need him right now? Not really, but he always presented a possible late season, “X-Factor” scoring option that may be able to create his own basket on a team that doesn’t have many shot creators outside of LeBron James.
We’ll see what Cousins decides, with tomorrow reportedly being a “soft target date” for players to decide whether or not they’re going to return.
