Demarcus Cousins Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Durant, Leonard, Rozier, Ntilikina

June 30th, 2019 at 2:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks’ hopes of adding two stars in free agency now rely on the reported desire of Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard to team up, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. New York is among the teams with enough cap space to sign both stars, and ESPN reported yesterday that the Knicks and Clippers are the most likely destinations if they do join forces.

Two other potential Knicks targets came off the board Saturday as Kyrie Irving reached an agreement with the Nets and Kemba Walker committed to the Celtics. A source tells Berman that Walker’s family, particularly his mother, wasn’t interested in moving to New York.

That’s not true for Durant, who likes the idea of living in the nation’s largest city, Berman adds. He had his surgery performed in New York and has several ties to the franchise, serving as a mentor to Allonzo Trier and being friends with free agent center DeAndre Jordan and assistant coach Royal Ivey. The Knicks were considered favorites to sign Durant before his Achilles injury in the NBA Finals and are still strongly in the race, according to Berman. However, the additional year and the extra $57MM that the Warriors can offer could still tip the scale in their favor.

There’s more out of New York:

If the Knicks can’t land one of the elite free agents, their next targets will be point guard Terry Rozier and power forwards Julius Randle and Bobby Portis, Berman relays in the same story. They also have what Berman calls “mild” interest in a one-year deal with DeMarcus Cousins.
Durant isn’t leaning toward any team as free agency begins, his agent, Rich Kleiman, told Steve Serby of The New York Post. “While I’m doing this interview, Kevin is completely undecided in figuring out what he wants to do,” Kleiman said.
Whether the Knicks keep Frank Ntilikina or not, he won’t be part of their Summer League team, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The second-year guard, who has been on the trading block, will compete in the FIBA World Cup later this summer with the French team.

DeMarcus Cousins Interested In Kings, But They’re Looking Elsewhere

June 30th, 2019 at 9:32am CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent center DeMarcus Cousins would be open to returning to Sacramento, league sources tell Jason Jones of The Athletic, but the Kings are looking for someone who fits their up-tempo style of play.

Cousins made three All-Star appearances during his six and a half years with the franchise, though he was often the center of controversy. He clashed with management, particularly coach George Karl, and criticized the organization for not assembling more talent around him. The Kings traded Cousins to New Orleans midway through the 2016/17 season to launch their rebuilding process.

Cousins played in 30 games for the Warriors this season after returning from a ruptured Achilles. His performances were uneven, but he managed to put up 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per night. He suffered a quad injury during the playoffs, but was able to return for the NBA Finals.

Dewayne Dedmon is a better fit for the Kings’ approach to the game, Jones adds, and we relayed their interest in the Hawks’ center last night.

Sacramento’s plan in free agency is to get an early commitment from Harrison Barnes on a four-year deal in the $88MM to $90MM range and then concentrate on finding a center. Jones states that when the offseason began, the front office was considering a new deal for incumbent starter Willie Cauley-Stein, but not the big-money contract he is hoping for. His inconsistency during the season is part of the reason the Kings are looking to make a move.

“If you’re talking about the Sacramento Kings, we know exactly how we’re going to play,” GM Vlade Divac said, “uptempo, athleticism and shooting. The big guy has to check all those boxes for us.”

Free Agent Rumors: Wolves, Cousins, Sumner, KP

June 28th, 2019 at 3:43pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Timberwolves don’t project to have cap room, though that won’t stop them from attempting to make major moves this offseason, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic notes. The team will have major stakeholders in Los Angeles for meetings on Sunday with an eye on recruiting free agents.

Karl-Anthony Towns has taken on the role of a recruiter. D’Angelo Russell appears to be a target with Krawcynski citing the two players’ friendship as just part of the reason a pairing makes sense. Much has to be done before Minnesota can truly become a threat to land Russell, as he is still technically a restricted free agent and the franchise can’t compete with some of the other organizations with max cap space already on hand.

As we wait to see what moves the Timberwolves have in store, let’s take a look at some rumors from around the league:

Seven teams have expressed “varying levels” of interest in DeMarcus Cousins, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated hears. The Knicks are among the teams with serious interest and the Clippers are “intrigued,” Spears writes.
The Pacers have yet to exercise or decline the option on Edmond Sumner, as they are discussing a long-term deal with the point guard, J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star relays. The former second-round pick appeared in 23 games for Indiana last season.
Sources tell Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link) that it’s unlikely that there will be an update on Kristaps Porzingis‘ sexual assault allegations before free agency on Sunday. The Mavericks and Porzingis are still expected to come together on a full, five-year max contract, Townsend adds.

Free Agent Rumors: Knicks, Pelicans, Looney, Satoransky, More

June 27th, 2019 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on recent reports that have linked the team to Julius Randle and Bobby Portis, Ian Begley of SNY.tv confirms that the Knicks will have “strong interest” in those young bigs if they can’t land their top free agent targets. However, as we’ve heard repeatedly in recent days, New York prefers not to offer contracts longer than two years to its secondary targets, according to Begley, who acknowledges that either Randle or Portis could get a longer-term offer from another team.

Begley also confirms that the Knicks have weighed the idea of pursuing DeMarcus Cousins in free agency, as was previously reported. According to Begley though, some in the organization have indicated that going after a younger player like Randle or Portis is a higher priority than pursuing Cousins, who is entering his age-29 season.

The Pelicans are among the teams expected to show interest in free agent big man Kevon Looney, writes former Sporting News reporter Sean Deveney (Facebook link). As Deveney notes, New Orleans will have cap flexibility and could use another veteran big man in the frontcourt with Anthony Davis and potentially Julius Randle departing.
Tomas Satoransky, who will become a restricted free agent after receiving a qualifying offer from the Wizards, is expected to receive interest from the Mavericks, Pacers, Magic, and Celtics, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. According to Hughes, the Jazz also had Satoransky on their list of targets before swinging a deal for Mike Conley. I’d imagine the Celtics would be out of the running as well if they can land Kemba Walker.
Appearing on a recent ESPN podcast with Zach Lowe, Brian Windhorst said he got word a month ago that the Spurs were interested in free agent forward Bojan Bogdanovic. As Windhorst notes though, San Antonio doesn’t have the cap room to make a play for Bogdanovic and would need to make a cost-cutting move for it to be a realistic possibility.

Knicks Considering Making Play For DeMarcus Cousins

June 27th, 2019 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks are weighing the idea of making a “considerable” one-year contract offer to free agent big man DeMarcus Cousins in the event that they miss out on top free agent target Kevin Durant, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (via Twitter).

As Stein reiterates in a follow-up tweet, the Knicks are widely expected to shift their focus to one- or two-year contracts if they strike out on this year’s elite free agents, a group that consists of Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Kawhi Leonard.

However, it sounds like New York still plans on attempting to field a competitive roster in that scenario, rather than fully relying on its young prospects for a second straight season. As we heard on Wednesday, the Knicks would be seeking “high-level” rotation players who wouldn’t necessarily require a long-term investment. Cousins could fit that bill. Terry Rozier was also named on Wednesday as a possible target.

Cousins, 28, didn’t look like his old self this season after returning from a torn Achilles (and a torn quad later). Still, he has a full offseason to work on getting back to full strength, and even when he’s limited, the big man can be an effective offensive weapon. In 30 games for the Warriors in 2018/19, he averaged 16.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.5 BPG, and 1.3 SPG.

Durant remains the Knicks’ top target, and while there’s no indication yet on which way he’s leaning, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link) said this morning during an appearance on Get Up that the Warriors – who remain confident about their odds of keeping KD – would be interested in exploring a sign-and-trade deal with the Knicks or Nets if Durant decides he wants to go east.

Golden State likely wouldn’t be seeking any assets in that scenario, but could create a giant trade exception in a sign-and-trade, which could be used to acquire someone else. Of course, the Knicks and Nets should both be able to sign KD outright using their cap room, so they’d have little incentive to help out the Warriors, as Windhorst acknowledges.

Knicks Notes: Stars, Harris, Randle

June 25th, 2019 at 7:57pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Knicks are heading into the offseason the ability to carve out cap space for two max contracts. Kevin Durant has long been rumored as a target, though he isn’t the only star they will shoot for.

The team is hopeful about getting a meeting with Kawhi Leonard, sources tell Marc Spears of The Undefeated. New York also has interest in Kemba Walker and Kyrie Irving.

Whispers that the Knicks wouldn’t look to the next level of stars should they strike out on the top of the market began to surface recently. However, Spears hears that the front office is interested in Tobias Harris and Nikola Vucevic, both player that GM Scott Perry knows from his time in the Magic organization.

While Harris and Vucevic are considered a tier below the Durant-Leonard-level stars, both players are expected to garner max contracts on the open market. Here’s more from Spears on the Knicks:

New York and Julius Randle have a mutual interest, sources tell Spears. Randle has previously been linked to the franchise.
DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan, Markieff Morris, and Marcus Morris are among the players on the Knicks’ radar, Spears writes. Jordan is reportedly a target of the crosstown Nets.
The Knicks‘ reputation has come a long way in just two years. No. 3 overall pick R.J. Barrett openly declared that he wanted to be in New York leading up to the draft. Team president Steve Mills said that in 2017, several Kentucky prospects didn’t want to meet with the team during the pre-draft process. “It was frustrating for me because I had never been in a situation where, especially rookies, there was a narrative amongst the young guys that they didn’t want to come play for the Knicks,” Mills said. “They didn’t want to meet with us in Chicago. I said, ‘We’ve got to change that and start with the young guys.’ ”
Mills added that the front office has the green light to take a patient approach this offseason should the team miss out on stars. “If the right guys are there for us, great, because we still have all the young pieces and draft picks to move forward,” Mills tells Spears.“And if they’re not, we’re going to keep building our plan, drafting our guys, playing well and potentially being trade partners. We feel really good about where we are going.”

Warriors Notes: Thompson, Looney, Cousins, Livingston

June 14th, 2019 at 11:27am CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors expect Klay Thompson to be sidelined nine to 10 months with the torn ACL in his left knee that he suffered last night, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). That would put his projected return sometime from mid-March to mid-April, possibly late in the season but definitely in time for next year’s playoffs if there are no unexpected setbacks.

Golden State will remain Thompson’s first option in free agency this summer, but he could listen to other teams if the Warriors don’t offer a max contract, sources tell Haynes. It’s not clear if Thompson’s injury will have any effect on what the organization plans to do.

Thompson’s was hurt in the third quarter of Game 6 when he landed awkwardly on his left leg after being fouled on a fast break. After being helped off the court, he returned to make two free throws, but wasn’t able to play any more. Thompson didn’t realize the severity at the time, telling coach Steve Kerr, “Just a two-minute rest and I’ll be ready,” relays Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

There’s more Warriors news to pass along:

Re-signing Kevon Looney and possibly DeMarcus Cousins will be priorities this summer, Vardon adds. Looney will be looking for a significant raise on the one-year, $1.6MM contract he had this season, while Cousins could receive as much as $6.4MM from the Warriors via his Non-Bird rights if there’s not a strong demand for him in free agency. Cousins told Anthony Slater of The Athletic that he’s “open” to coming back (Twitter link).
The Warriors’ fighting spirit may have sunk their future, Slater notes in a full story. If Golden State had lost in the conference semifinals after Kevin Durant‘s injury in Game 6 or hadn’t pulled out a close victory in Game 2 in Toronto, the catastrophic events of the past two games never would have happened.
Veteran guard Shaun Livingston will seriously consider retirement, but said he could “possibly” return for another year, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Livingston, who will turn 34 this summer, has just a $2MM guarantee on his $7,692,308 contract for next season. It won’t become fully guaranteed until June 30.
Owner Joe Lacob wasn’t ready to address free agency questions last night, but admitted that he talked with GM Bob Myers about what the Warriors do next, relays Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. “We’ll have to assess and then talk,” Lacob said. “Obviously, we still have a very good team. And a great organization. So we’ll take it one step at a time.”

Warriors Notes: Cousins, Iguodala, Durant, Williams

June 5th, 2019 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

DeMarcus Cousins felt like quitting the game after being sidelined by a torn quad in the Warriors‘ first-round series against the Clippers, according to an ESPN story. In an interview today on ESPN’s “The Jump,” Cousins talks about the frustration of suffering another injury so soon after recovering from a torn Achilles.

“I was just ready to quit,” he said. “Like, throw the towel in. … Human nature is the first thing. It’s like, ‘Why? Why me? Why now? What did I do wrong? Why do I deserve this?’ And that’s not always the case. It’s usually [that] it’s repaying you for the next moment. This is you putting your armor on. Slowly but surely. Because your next moment’s gonna be even tougher.”

Cousins’ return to action was gradual, as he played just eight minutes in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. But he was a key contributor in Game 2 with 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes. The injury-plagued Warriors may need more performances like that to pull out the series.

“I had to dig deep,” Cousins said of the recovery process. “I had to do some soul-searching and, you know, throughout both injuries, it was times where I just — you know, like, ‘Forget it.’ Like, I’ll just take my time with it and whatever happens, happens. … I just couldn’t go out that way.”

There’s more Warriors news as Game 3 approaches:

Andre Iguodala addresses the topic of retirement in an interview with Marc Stein of The New York Times about a book from the veteran forward that will be released this month. “I have a good idea how much longer I want to play,” Iguodala said. “I’m keeping it to myself, but it’s going to be soon. I can play four or five more years. But I won’t.” Iguodala, 35, has one more season on his current deal at nearly $17.2MM, so it seems safe to say he’ll at least be back next year.
Coach Steve Kerr told reporters that Kevin Durant had good workouts yesterday and today, but hasn’t attempted to play in three-on-three or five-on-five games, tweets Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. Durant will practice tomorrow with some of the team’s younger players in hopes of returning for Friday’s Game 4.
Add Golden State to the list of teams that brought in Tennessee’s Grant Williams for a pre-draft workout, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Warriors Notes: Durant, Iguodala, Cousins, Green

June 1st, 2019 at 4:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant‘s return date remains uncertain, but he’s finding other ways to help the Warriors during their playoff run, writes Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. Durant made a brief appearance at today’s practice before undergoing treatment for his strained left calf. He has already been ruled out of Sunday’s Game 2, which will mark the seventh straight contest he will miss because of the injury.

Durant has adopted a greater role behind the scenes and has been vocal during film sessions. He spent time talking with Quinn Cook, Jordan Bell and Damion Lee during today’s workout.

“His presence is becoming more and more evident and becoming more and more normal,” Draymond Green said. “It obviously means a lot. When you’re talking about a guy like Kevin and a talent like that, he comes from a different view. He sees the game from a different perspective. It’s always good to get that perspective and try to incorporate what people are doing.”

There’s more Warriors news to pass along:

Andre Iguodala confirmed today that he will be ready for Game 2, relays Steven Loung of Sportsnet. Iguodala had an MRI Friday on his left leg after experiencing pain late in the series opener. He didn’t say how close he feels to 100%, but the Warriors need him to help contain Raptors star Kawhi Leonard. “It’s always difficult going up against top players,” Iguodala said. “You’ve gotta be locked in mentally, physically. It’s just part of the game, though. … If you’re injured or you’ve got pain, you just play through it and just try to help the team win.”
DeMarcus Cousins talks to James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area about the rehab process that enabled him to get back on the court six weeks after an apparent season-ending quad injury. “Once I kind of started to the doctors, they gave me a little more knowledge on everything that was going on with injury and the usual timeframe,” Cousins said. “My first week I sat in a hyperbaric chamber for a week straight like two or three hours a day. That was my first week just to speed up the whole process of healing and things of that nature.” Coach Steve Kerr said Cousins didn’t experience any pain after playing eight minutes in Game 1, according to a tweet from Medina.
Green had an unlikely dinner companion Friday night, according to Logan Murdock of NBC Sports Bay Area. Raptors fan Drake, who had a verbal exchange with Green after Game 1, joined him and Alfonzo McKinnie at a Toronto restaurant.

DeMarcus Cousins Will Be Active For Game 1

May 30th, 2019 at 11:35am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors won’t have Kevin Durant back in their lineup to start the NBA Finals, but another injured star appears set to return. Head coach Steve Kerr confirmed today to reporters, including Mark Medina of The Bay Area News Group (Twitter link), that DeMarcus Cousins will be active for Game 1.

Cousins, who missed more than half of the 2018/19 season while recovering from an Achilles tear, suffered a torn quad in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs against the Clippers. While that injury seemed likely to finish his season, he worked hard to rehab the quad and get healthy enough to return to the court before the end of the playoffs.

When Cousins signed a one-year, $5.34MM deal with the Warriors last summer, this was the sort of opportunity he anticipated. Having never appeared in a playoff game before, the 28-year-old wanted a chance to compete for a title, and he’ll get that chance beginning on Thursday night.

It’s not clear what sort of role Cousins will play against the Raptors. According to Medina (via Twitter), Kerr said he has a sense of the workload the big man will get in Game 1, but declined to offer specifics.

Technically, the Warriors were a better team with Cousins off the court than with him on it during the regular season and during his brief playoff stint. Plus, his presence would reduce the likelihood of Golden State playing Raptors center Marc Gasol off the floor. Those factors, combined with Cousins still needing to get his conditioning back to where it was, point to a limited role for the former All-Star, but we’ll see what Kerr has in mind.

As for Durant, Kerr said today that the former Finals MVP probably won’t be able to practice before Game 2, making it unlikely he suits up until at least Game 3 (Twitter link via Marc Berman of The New York Post).