Golden State Warriors: 3 goals for DeMarcus Cousins in 2018-19

1. Win a ring while you can

For most of his NBA career, Cousins has been on awful teams. Never during his days with the Kings did he make the playoffs. The Pelicans made it to the postseason a few months back, but that was after his devastating injury. He got to watch from the sidelines.

Well, even if he didn’t get healthy until mid-April, Cousins would still be taking part in the Warriors’ annual vacation delay. They absolutely don’t need him to finish in the top eight teams in the Western Conference, and may not even need him to win it all. That, however, is besides the point.

The goal here is for Cousins to get that bling while he can, and signing with the Warriors gave him about the best opportunity he’ll ever have of doing exactly that. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it played a large part in his decision to take his talents to the Bay Area. By joining Golden State, there was no need to rush his recovery and he still has a golden opportunity to walk away with a ring.

When it comes down to it, though, Cousins isn’t coming back. Assuming he at least bounces back as a capable starter, he’s going to be looking for more than a small raise, which is all the Warriors can offer in 2019. He’ll want to cash in while he can, and will likely sign with a quality team willing to offer him buckets of money. Put simply, this will be his only year with Golden State.

So, Boogie needs to go out and win a championship while he can, putting that ring on his finger before it’s too late and he’s spending the rest of his career with a team incapable of getting past the second round.