The Houston Rockets plan on parting ways with center DeMarcus Cousins in the coming days according to a report from Shams Charania of the Athletic.
Cousins signed a non-guaranteed contract for the veteran’s minimum with the Rockets back in November and that deal was fully guaranteed earlier this week according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com.
The decision to fully guarantee the deal appears to be a goodwill gesture by the Rockets ahead of the decision to part ways with the 6-foot-10 big man. According to Charania, the Rockets are planning to go in a younger direction with their frontcourt following a recent slide in the standings. Houston has lost seven straight games overall, dropping them to 11-17 on the year.
Cousins has seen regular minutes for Houston this year on the heels of missing most of the last two seasons with numerous severe leg injuries.
The 30-year-old center is averaging 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in just 20.2 minutes per game. He’s appeared in 25 of Houston’s 28 games this season with 11 starts in those games.
While it’s possible that the Rockets may try to find a trade for Cousins towards a preferred destination, the likelier scenario is the big man simply gets released, allowing him to find a good fit in free agency. Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer reports that the Lakers will be one team with interest in the big man.
The move by Houston may also be the beginning of a fire sale in the coming months with some of their veteran talent that could hold demand on the trade market. P.J. Tucker and Victor Oladipo are both expiring contracts while a 32-year-old Eric Gordon may be shopped around as well if the team elects to go in a younger direction on the wing.
Could the Celtics show interest in the big man?
Danny Ainge has been open about the desire to upgrade Boston’s roster in the coming weeks but don’t expect Cousins to be a likely target for Boston once he hits the open market. Boston’s frontcourt is already a bit of a logjam with Daniel Theis, Tristan Thompson and Rob Williams all playing big minutes at center on a nightly basis.
Cousins is a four-time All-Star but there is a reason the Rockets are moving on from him beyond just his age. The big man is shooting just 37 percent from the field this year, with much of his athleticism sapped after numerous leg injuries the past two years. Houston’s defense has been subpar with him on the court as well due to his lack of mobility. He’s been rebounding well but beyond that, his weaknesses guarding quicker players and finishing around the rim have been glaring with starting center Christian Wood sidelined in Houston.
Cousins may provide a boost for some reserve frontcourt across the league that lack appealing options but it’s hard to envision him being much of an upgrade on any options in Boston’s rotation. With other areas of Boston’s roster needing more attention from a depth standpoint (wings in particular), it’s hard to envision Ainge moving out a player just to bring in another center with lackluster production.
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