NBA Free Agency 2019: 5 potential destinations for DeMarcus Cousins

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the Golden State Warriors reacts against the Toronto Raptors in the second half during Game Six of the 2019 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 13, 2019 in Oakland, California. 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. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

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OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 13: DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the Golden State Warriors reacts against the Toronto Raptors in the second half during Game Six of the 2019 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 13, 2019 in Oakland, California. 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. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

5. Golden State Warriors

If one of Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson re-sign in Golden State this summer, the Warriors likely won’t have the financial wherewithal to retain Cousins as well.

Since Cousins signed with them as a free agent last summer, the Dubs only have non-Bird rights on him. That means they can’t offer him more than 120 percent of what he earned this past season — so, no more than $6.4 million — unless they’re signing him with open salary-cap space.

Regardless of where Durant and Thompson sign, Stephen Curry ($40.2 million), Draymond Green ($18.5 million) and Andre Iguodala ($17.2 million) will gobble up a huge proportion of the Warriors’ cap room. Since Thompson is all but a lock to stay in Golden State, other free-agent suitors should be able to outbid the Warriors for Cousins.

That doesn’t mean the Warriors are necessarily out of the running, however. Following their Game 6 loss to the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals, Cousins told reporters he was “open” to re-signing in Golden State, adding: “It was a weird summer last summer. So you never know how things work out.”

If Cousins’ recent injury history depresses his free-agent market, he may decide to stay in the Bay Area on another one-year deal. Even if Durant and Thompson re-sign, he’ll have far more of an opportunity to make an on-court impact in 2019-20 as they recover from their respective Achilles and ACL injuries.

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