Warriors GM on DeMarcus Cousins: If He Wants to Come Back, Let's Bring Him Back
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently made headlines by saying offseason signing DeMarcus Cousins would be one-and-done in the Bay Area because of financial constraints, but general manager Bob Myers isn't ruling anything out.
Myers discussed Cousins' future with Greg Papa on "Warriors Pregame Live" (h/t NBC Sports' Marcus White) on Friday:
"Options are open, Pap; like anything. If you would've asked me a year ago before this if he was gonna be an option for us, I'd say, 'No way, that's crazy!' But he came. He came for a lot less than [what] his market value was.
"These type of predictions—good or bad—are pretty fruitless because you just don't know. You don't know what's going to be going on on July 1, 2019. You don't know if it's going to be better than you think...but it's not going to be what you think. So, with a guy like DeMarcus, who knows? If he wants to come back, let's bring him back."
Myers isn't wrong about NBA offseasons producing shocking deals. After all, Cousins signed a one-year deal with the Warriors in early July in a move nobody saw coming. However, the collective bargaining agreement will only allow Golden State to re-sign Cousins for 120 percent of his current salary ($5.3 million).
When healthy, Cousins—who averaged 21.5 points and 11.0 rebounds through his first eight seasons—is one of the best big men in basketball. That's why Kerr views this as a short-term experiment.
"We made no bones about it when we signed him," Kerr said Thursday, per NBC Sports' Monte Poole. "It's a one-year deal. We're not going to have money to sign him next year. He knows that. So we'd like him to help us win a championship. And we'd like to help him get a great contract next year, somewhere else."
Cousins is still working his way back from a torn Achilles suffered in late January. His New Orleans Pelicans made the playoffs last season and swept the third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, but he was sidelined by injury, and he's never played in the postseason since being drafted fifth overall in 2010.
That will change this season, health permitting.
While keeping Cousins would provide the Warriors with a dominant presence in the paint, re-signing him won't be their top priority. Both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson will be eligible for free agency after this season, and Draymond Green's contract expires after the 2019-20 campaign.
