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NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 potential destinations for DeMarcus Cousins

By Jerry Christodoulatos

NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 19: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans speaks to DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the New Orleans Pelicans after the game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Game Three of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 19, 2018 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 19: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans speaks to DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the New Orleans Pelicans after the game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Game Three of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 19, 2018 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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After tearing his Achilles in January, what kind of deal will DeMarcus Cousins get in free agency and which teams will pursue the mercurial big man?

The 2017-2018 season wasn’t kind to DeMarcus Cousins. Though Cousins performed brilliantly on the offensive end of the floor through the month of January, his year came to a tragic end after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon. His ability to return to an All-NBA level of play is now in serious doubt.   When Cousins went down, we issued our eulogies and buried the 2018 Pelicans. How could they come back from losing such a huge component of their team? Instead of crumbling however, the Pelicans survived and thrived. After acquiring Nikola Mirotic and sliding Anthony Davis almost exclusively to the five spot, the Pelicans unleashed a killer up-tempo offense on the league. New Orleans  unexpectedly swept Portland in round one of the Playoffs and even gave Golden State a few tough games.

We entered the year wondering whether or not the Cousins-Davis duo was a feasible roster strategy in a league that has become smaller and faster. For all the skill of the NBAs modern Twin Towers combination, would playing them together become an issue of diminishing returns? That brilliant end of season run has certainly raised questions about the viability of the Cousins-Davis pairing. New Orleans uncovered an identity with Davis at the 5. The new startling lineup posted a preposterous net rating of plus 16.8 in 201 minutes. The initial two-big lineup that started early in the season had a net rating of negative 2.9 in 408 minutes.  Those samples are large enough to force New Orleans to reconsider its team building strategy going forward.

And so we arrive at DeMarcus’ free agency.  With the lack of substantial cap space across the league, will any team risk offering Boogie Cousins an enormous max deal? Achilles ruptures and tears can impact a guy’s game for years. The reality of the situation is that we might never see Boogie playing at an All-Star level ever again.  Furthermore, Cousins has a notorious reputation as a problematic presence in the locker room. Given this concatenation of factors, the market for DeMarcus might be far more tepid than we ever could’ve imagined.

If the market is in fact depressed, New Orleans might be able to bring him back on a short deal that minimizes risk for the franchise. Of course, if one team offers DeMarcus the max, the Pelicans will have to think hard about whether or not they want to offer a comparable deal. In any event, Boogie’s free agency will be a fascinating case as the offseason unfolds. Here are five teams that could attempt to land him as another wild NBA summer heats up.

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