DeMarcus Cousins is still recovering from the torn ACL in his left knee and may not be ready to play when the 2020/21 season begins in December, Austin Kent of SLAM reports. Cousins missed all of last season after suffering the injury during a summer workout. Cousins’ agent Jeff Schwartz told Kent that his client is focused on returning at full strength. Cousins, who is an unrestricted free agent, received offers prior to the restart but chose to continue his rehab.
We have more news from around the basketball world:
- The Knicks are in the best position in terms of cap space next offseason, Danny Leroux of The Athletic notes. Depending upon what they do this offseason, New York might have enough room for two max players. The Spurs, Hornets, Hawks and Heat could also be in good position to sign a max player. Leroux breaks down every team’s cap situation and what kind of spending power they might have in 2021.
- There’s a good chance that two-way players will be able to remain with their NBA teams for more than 45 days during the upcoming season, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. With a condensed offseason as well as coronavirus concerns, team executives are seeking more roster flexibility, Stein adds.
- With a flat luxury-tax line and hard cap, several teams will be forced into hard decisions in the coming weeks, Bobby Marks of ESPN notes. The hard cap of $138.9MM could force the Lakers to decide between trying to re-sign Rajon Rondo and spending their $9.3MM mid-level exception on another free agent, Marks notes. The hard cap figure could also force the Bucks to waive Ersan Ilyasova, who has a non-guaranteed $7MM contract, Marks adds.
Cousins has had a rough go. He got drafted by a terrible team that never really figured out how to put together a winning squad, and then he got blamed when that team fired multiple coaches, and then he got traded before he could sign a max contract.
Then, just when he looks like he’s found a spot on a winning team, the injury bug bites. And then it bites again when he’s on a great team he helped, and then it bites AGAIN on another great team he helped.
Now? He might not get a deal.
Brutal.
Had cousins not have gotten hurt i believe he would be a top 2-3 center. But let’s not act like he was a Saint.
He wasn’t with the Saints, he was with the Pelicans.
Who cares about him being a saint or not? Racist comment.
s4, it gets worse than “not a saint”. For instance Cousins is so arrogant he even ignores his own legs… he wants to do what they cannot support and he doesn’t care.
His defense was atrocious even healthy. At that end it’s their stats not his after all.
Your claim of racist is unfair and leads to unnecessary put-downs. No support as to how it applies as such, not that I’m asking.
Agreed – Cousins isn’t a saint. He’s not the coach killer me-first guy that Sacramento’s inept front office painted him to be, but he’s also not great off the court. Domestic violence is never OK.
@JasonLancaster… I totally agree DMC has had real bad luck, he has played at MVP level some seasons, one of the greatest centers to ever play the game, the guy was flipping unbelievable before the injury!
Also hoops aside one of the nicest guys to play in recent years, his commitment to local communities is second to none, that is for sure!
I just hope he can get back to balling at the best level possible & that he can be happy, he really deserves it, great guy!
Cousins is a great counter example to the LBJ school of “maximizing earnings” by signing 1+1’s. Isaiah Thomas too.
He was on fire that whole season with the Pels. Him and Davis were a fun combo to watch.
Bad luck, indeed. But how did he help the Lakers?
Is his game even relevant anymore?
Sans the ACL injuries I would say bc of his agility.
But at 30 coming off back to back big time leg injuries I’d say it’s 50/50 he’s catching lobs from Starbury in Beijing next time he suits up.
Avery Bradley is worth MLE
Should Lakers give 9.3m MLE to him？
Hard capped?
Unfortunately until things change no matter how much money NYK have no one is coming.
NYK could get Bradley. Maybe even Vleet.
But yeah to get a Giannis probably not unless they can swing a trade for a star in advance.
Lakers should lose KCP and keep Rondo.
Definitely don’t trade for derozan.
It’s better to keep a little flexibility than take a risk on a guy like Derozan playing defense.
The Lakers have no say in who they keep. AD, KCP, Rondo, Bradley, and McGee all have player options which means they get to decide if whether or not they play for LA next season, not the team. The first 3 already said they are opting out and Bradley probably will too.
AD isn’t going anywhere you can believe that!!!!
Just because AD is opting out doesn’t mean he’s going anywhere in 2021, but there’s no guarantee he sticks around after next season. He is expected to get another player option for the following season to keep his options open. LeBron might still play at a high level one more season, but after that it becomes far less likely. So AD will probably move on to a contender in 2022.
Why would he move on to another contender?
He has his ring now.
He ain’t coming across to me as a ring chaser, those guys always moving to get one more ring, real sad if you ask me!
I think AD is gonna stay for a very loooong time in LA!
The AD explanation for AD is not a lie, but is shortsighted, which is almost as bad. First he assumes Lebron will be done soon, which he has said for years and has always been wrong about. Then he doesn’t think the Lakers will be able to replace his salary, but that will provide a lot to work with. Then he assumes AD will want to leave LA to compete, even though he has already won a title from there. He is happy there and likes Lebron. There maybe more wrong, but hwmvps keeps repeating the same hate!
hwmvps is a BANAL liar!
Bull. Of course the Lakers have say. More lies from hwmvps.
From HR yetsterday: “… rival teams might want to put pressure on the defending champions by making aggressive offers for the Lakers’ most important free agents…
ESPN’s Bobby Marks estimates a starting salary in the $12-14MM range for Caldwell-Pope and $4-6MM for Rondo. ..”
Oh great another year of knicks with cap space ESPN bull****. Can’t wait for the billion articles about top player x to the Knicks.
Except it was The Athletic and they have legit writing, which is why people pay for it
If the Bucks have to waive Illyasova, and they replace him with DJ Hill, and don’t get a new PG, Horst should get his GM of the year revoked. He has a lot of work to do. Illyasova’s salary would be important to use in a trade at least.