Letting DeMarcus Cousins Walk
It’s hard to grade this move, or lack thereof, with so many conflicting reports of what transpired. It was difficult to imagine DeMarcus Cousins getting virtually no offers when he first got hurt in late January.
What was even more unpredictable was him reaching out to and eventually signing a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the Golden State Warriors.
Achilles injuries are incredibly difficult to recover from, but Cousins’ all-around game should help return to form.
Still, Boogie would have returned very late in the season, and the Pelicans were not trying to commit maximum money, long-term to what was now an unknown return on investment.
If you subscribe to the @nytimes weekly NBA newsletter, it’s already in your inbox and you have fresh reporting on DeMarcus Cousins’ stunning move to Golden State — including this bit on New Orleans offering Cousins an extension late in the season that was declined: pic.twitter.com/bABWuaOnCO
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 3, 2018
There were also mixed reports on whether Anthony Davis wanted Cousins back. But AD and Boogie were extremely close, with the former wearing the latter’s jersey in the All-Star game after he suffered the Achilles tear that ruled him out for the season.
Davis might seem unaffected but could use this loss as motivation.
"“I mean, I’m happy for him. He did what he did. He chose the right team for his career right now with his injury, I’m assuming. I wish the best of luck to him and we’ll see him three maybe four times this year, and try to beat him. Now he’s the enemy. Anybody who’s not on the Pelicans is an enemy to me. He went from a teammate to an enemy.”"
Even with the career-altering injury. Even with a potential logjam in the frontcourt and the fact that he joined the reigning two-time champions as opposed to a a playoff fringe team, letting this happen was a mistake.
Grade: C-