4 free agent centers the Pelicans should consider to replace Anthony Davis
By Cody Taylor
DeMarcus Cousins: Golden State Warriors, Unrestricted Free Agent
DeMarcus Cousins took a gamble and signed with the Golden State Warriors on a one-year deal to reset his market after leaving the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pels reportedly offered him a two-year deal to stay with the team, but he turned it down to chase a title.
The former Pelicans center did average 16/8/3 on 48% shooting from the field and 27.4% from beyond the three point line in 30 games after tearing his Achilles in January of 2018. Boogie is a 4-time All-Star and 2-time All-NBA selection that showed his worth with the Golden State Warriors when he was healthy.
Cousins wanted to get a chance to prove his worth and win in the postseason. He returned to action during the 2019 NBA Finals after tearing his left quadriceps in Game Two of the Los Angeles Clippers series, and despite being considered out of playing shape, he did contribute to the team’s efforts against the Toronto Raptors.
The biggest questions about Cousins this coming summer is going to be his ability to stay healthy and him being realistic about the money he believes he is worth. The Warriors kept rolling without him, got better with his return, and appeared fine in the playoffs without him again. Whether the New Orleans Pelicans would be up to a reunion after a year break would be left to be seen, but it could be a very beneficial move as he is a career 10.9 total rebounder and 1.2 career shotblocker. We have seen what he can do with the Pelicans, and maybe we will get round two this coming summer.
Three players Pelicans could trade for with #4 pick. dark. Next
With the Anthony Davis trade returning enough players to get the New Orleans Pelicans’ starting rotation set from positions 1 to 4, all that’s left to figure out is who’s going to play the 5. If David Griffin wants to address this need via free agency, these four players could be solid options.