The Houston Rockets plans to part ways with pivot DeMarcus Cousins in the coming days, according to a report by Atlético’s Shams Charania.
Cousins signed an unsecured contract for the veteran’s minimum with the Rockets in November and that deal was fully guaranteed earlier this week, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com.
The decision to fully secure the deal appears to be a gesture of goodwill from the Rockets before the decision to separate from the big six-foot man. According to Charania, the Rockets are planning to go in a younger direction with their attacking court, after a recent drop in rankings. Houston lost seven consecutive games in total, dropping to 11-17 in the year.
Cousins saw regular minutes for Houston this year after missing most of the past two seasons, with several serious leg injuries.
The 30-year-old has an average of 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in just 20.2 minutes per game. He appeared in 25 of Houston’s 28 games this season, with 11 games in those games.
While it is possible for the Rockets to try to find a switch to Cousins towards a preferred destination, the most likely scenario is for the great man to simply be released, allowing him to find a good fit in the free agency. Kevin O’Connor of Ringer reports that the Lakers will be a team with an interest in the big man.
Houston’s move could also be the start of a sale in the coming months with some of its veteran talent that could keep up with demand in the commercial market. PJ Tucker and Victor Oladipo are both winning contracts, while Eric Gordon, 32, could also be hired if the team decides to follow a younger direction in the wing.
Could the Celtics show interest in the great man?
Danny Ainge has been open about his desire to update the Boston cast in the coming weeks, but don’t expect Cousins to be a likely target for Boston once he hits the open market. Boston’s attacking court is already a bit confused with Daniel Theis, Tristan Thompson and Rob Williams, all playing great minutes downtown each night.
Cousins is an All-Star four times, but there is a reason the Rockets are moving away from him beyond his age. The big man is shooting only 37 percent of the field this year, with much of his athleticism weakened after numerous leg injuries in the past two years. Houston’s defense was below average with him on the court also due to his lack of mobility. He is recovering well, but in addition, his weaknesses in defending faster players and finishing around the edge have been striking with Christian Wood, away from the lawns in Houston.
Cousins may provide a boost for some reserve attack court across the league that lacks attractive options, but it’s hard to imagine it being an upgrade to any option in the Boston rotation. With other areas of the Boston squad needing more attention from a depth perspective (wards in particular), it’s hard to imagine Ainge moving a player just to bring in another center with lackluster production.