Warriors' DeMarcus Cousins Signs Contract with Puma for Basketball Relaunch

Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins reportedly signed a "lucrative, multiyear" shoe deal with Puma on Thursday, according to ESPN's Nick DePaula.

DePaula added that Nike has 10 days to exercise a match clause. If Nike declines, Cousins will officially join Puma.

Per DePaula, Puma intends to make Cousins the face of its basketball relaunch, as it is re-entering the landscape for the first time in 20 years.

In addition to Cousins, Puma has already inked deals with Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier and the top two picks in the 2018 NBA draft—Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton and Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley.

On Tuesday, Rozier reintroduced Puma onto an NBA court when he wore the Puma Clyde Disrupt sneakers in a preseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as seen in this tweet courtesy of Sole Collector:

While Puma has landed several promising, young players, Cousins is already a proven commodity.

The 28-year-old veteran is a four-time All-Star who is coming off a season that saw him average 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.6 steals per game for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Cousins' campaign was cut short by a torn Achilles, though.

That injury impacted Cousins' value on the free-agent market, so he signed a one-year deal with the two-time defending champion Warriors.

It isn't yet certain when Cousins will be able to return to game action, but when he does, he will promote Puma on a big stage as part of the NBA's best team.