The Rockets have made an early decision on DeMarcus Cousins‘ contract, guaranteeing his veteran’s minimum salary for the rest of the 2020/21 season, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
The league-wide salary guarantee date is February 27, but teams must release players on non-guaranteed contracts by February 24 to avoid taking on their full-season cap hits, so that they can clear waivers on or before February 26.
Cousins, who is earning $2.56MM on a one-year contract that counts as $1.62MM on Houston’s cap, is coming off a series of major leg injuries and hasn’t looked like his old All-Star self this season, averaging just 9.6 PPG and 7.6 RPG on 37.6% shooting in 25 games (20.2 MPG).
However, the 30-year-old has still occasionally flashed the ability to fill up the box score, including in a 28-point, 17-rebound, five-assist performance in Dallas on January 23. He has recently served as the Rockets’ starting center, with Christian Wood sidelined due to an ankle sprain.
Cousins will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Poll says that Most Rockets fans want to tank this season
Why?
They swap first round pick with Thunder and Heat
Updated Defensive FG %
Wiggins 38.9%
Butler 39.8
Draymond 41.3
Gobert 41.8
LeBron 41.9
Cousins 48.4
Wall 48.7
Jokic 50.1
Hield 54.8
DLo 54.6
Towns 57.9
No rocket science there for the Rockets as DMC has been playin’ very well for the minutes he has played so far this season… I would give him a score of 6.8/10… after his injuries that is pretty good & at the vets min, well he is practically a free gift for HOU this season, right?
Better than a pen with the banks name on it. Or one of those rubber jar openers. Very true…
I wouldn’t go so far as to say he has been playing very well, but he has had a few pretty good games. The team has lost 7 straight with him having to start in place of Christian Wood, but those are some awfully big shoes to fill.
But since he is only making the veteran minimum his 37.6% shooting percentage isn’t quite as bad as it would be if he was making a lot more.
10/8/2 in 20 minutes or 17/14/4 in 36 for a guy coming back from 3 big injuries in a row is awesome, dude!
Also whichever way you look at it a 7/10 is a very good, now if the team looses is ’cause they are just that bad, nothin’ to do with DMC ballin’ out, that’s for sure!
Easy decision to keep him. He’s a poor man’s Nikola Jokic. If he could get a consistent role with the same group of players, he would be a nice rotation piece for nearly any team.