DeMarcus Cousins thought he was going to get a lucrative offer on the open market. But two days into the free agency period, Cousins, who is coming off a serious Achilles injury, hadn’t received a single significant offer, according to Marc Spears of ESPN.
Golden State Warriors newcomer DeMarcus Cousins told ESPN’s The Undefeated that he had no significant contract offers when free agency arrived, but had already mentally prepared himself for possible disappointment due to his recovery from his Achilles’ tendon injury. Cousins…
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) July 3, 2018
So Cousins called an audible. He let the Warriors know he was interested in joining Golden State through his agent, and then talked to Warriors general manager Bob Myers. Conversations with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green followed. His conversation with Curry in particular, helped seal the deal.
Boogie Cousins said he got ZERO OFFERS (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) in free agency and decided to make a call to Warriors GM Bob Myers.
The league has no one else to blame (!!!). pic.twitter.com/957t0gDg58
— AJ King (@allday_ajking) July 3, 2018
“I talked to a very emotional Demarcus Cousins,” Spears told ESPN. “He told me he got zero offers. Zero offers. So he was certainly confused, he was certainly hurt. He said about 5am in the morning in Vegas, he got on his balcony, thought about everything, called his agent — woke him up — and started talking about different scenarios.
“And one of the scenarios was going to the Warriors. So early in the morning, he called Bob Myers and talked to him. Bob said he was certainly shocked that Demarcus called him … then after that, Demarcus said he spoke with Stephen Curry, he spoke with Kevin Durant, he spoke with Draymond Green…
“It lifted his spirits and really made him want to come. Stephen Curry’s excitement surprised Cousins and even pushed him towards the Bay Area even more.
“So then after that, a little bit past 8 eastern time, Demarcus Cousins called Golden State and said he was coming. He called it his chess move. He called it his ace…”
Cousins joins the Warriors on a one-year deal, worth $5.3 million for next year. He likely will not be available to return from his injury until sometime in December or January.
