Warriors Rumors: Tyreke Evans Was 1st Choice for MLE Before DeMarcus Cousins

The Golden State Warriors reportedly reached out to shooting guard Tyreke Evans about potentially signing their mid-level exception before adding DeMarcus Cousins.  

On Tuesday, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported Evans turned down the Dubs because of concerns about money, minutes and his offensive role within the already star-studded squad. That left the door open for Cousins to contact Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers about joining the team.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Evans traveled to meet with the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, noting there's "interest on both sides to get a deal done, but still work to do on it."

Meanwhile, Cousins' foray into the free-agent market was surrounded by a lot of question marks because he suffered a torn Achilles in January. It wasn't clear whether any team would be interested in a lucrative long-term deal after that serious setback.

So the 27-year-old Alabama native took matters into his own hands.

"This is my ace of spades," Cousins told Wojnarowski. "This is my chess move."

While the Los Angeles Lakers tried to bolster their roster around marquee acquisition LeBron James with journeymen veterans like Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson, the Warriors added another top-tier player. Cousins ranked 22nd in the NBA in Player Efficiency Rating last season, per ESPN.com.

The Dubs will be heavy favorites to win their third straight title, even with a vastly improved Lakers squad and the still-strong Houston Rockets in the West.

Whether their dominance is good for the NBA as a whole is up for debate. But Cousins viewed it as his best chance to showcase his talent on a one-year deal with an eye toward a much bigger one next summer, and Evans' decision to turn down the Warriors made it possible.