Four-time All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins is going to wait until 2020/21 NBA season to return to basketball. Cousins reportedly declined offers from multiple NBA teams, who wanted to sign him ahead of NBA resume in Orlando next month.
Cousins hasn’t played basketball in 2019/20 at all, sitting out the season with a torn ACL. Considering that this is his third major injury since January 2018, the 29-year-old now doesn’t want to take a risk with a speedy return and wants to continue rehabbing.
Reportedly, there is still a chance that Cousins changes his mind before the NBA closes its transaction window ahead of season resume. The player’s agent Jeff Schwartz recently told Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times that his client might be persuaded to make the trip to Orlando, but only with a team “he feels comfortable playing.”
DeMarcus Cousins last played in the NBA during the 2018/19 season, when he averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds in 30 regular-season games with the Golden State Warriors. His contributions in the playoffs were less impressive, as Cousins missed most of the postseason with a quadriceps tear.
Following his stint with Warriors, Cousins signed with Los Angeles Lakers ahead of 2019/20 seasons, hoping to create a super team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, his time in Staples Center came to an end before it even began, as he tore his ACL in one of the team’s preseason workouts. Lakers waived him in February to clear a roster spot.
