Brooklyn Nets: DeMarcus Cousins trade should be avoided at all costs
By Mike Luciano
With DeMarcus Cousins failing to impact the stat sheet in a meaningful way and the declining Houston Rockets wanting to give some of their younger players more burn, Houston is reportedly planning to part ways with him, which could get smaller teams like the Brooklyn Nets interested in adding his services to the mix.
The Rockets signed Cousins with the hope that they could get him back to the All-NBA player he was in his youth. After what looked like a Hall of Fame start to his career, Cousins has seen Achilles and ACL injuries rob him of the agility and scoring touch that made him such a dominant big man.
Once upon a time, Cousins was in the discussion for best center in the NBA. From his statistically eye-popping seasons with the Sacramento Kings to his time alongside Anthony Davis with the New Orleans Pelicans, Cousins’ blend of physicality, nimble footwork, and soft-touch around the basket made for a positively lethal combination.
While Cousins sounds like a great fit for the Nets, in theory, his fit with the team looks worse upon a closer examination.
The Houston Rockets and center DeMarcus Cousins are planning to part ways in coming days, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Houston wants to go smaller, younger in frontcourt when Christian Wood returns and this allows Cousins to find an opportunity elsewhere.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2021
DeMarcus Cousins wouldn’t help the Nets that much.
Cousins, who is averaging 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds this season, is, unfortunately, a compromised player at this stage in his career. Not only is his scoring, the same thing that made him an All-Star four times, starting to dip, but so is his efficiency, as he is making just 37% of his shots.
Even if he was scoring like the Boogie of old, his skill set wouldn’t be the best fit on the Nets. They have offense covered between Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. What Brooklyn needs is a shot blocker that can secure the paint, and that was never Cousins’ best trait.
Cousins has played in just 103 games since the start of the 2017 season, and several major injuries have relegated Boogie to becoming an average player who is unable to finish inside at the same prolific clip he did in Sacramento and New Orleans. Unfortunately, Brooklyn needs to pass him by if he hits the market.
The Nets could use his rebounding, but they also need size and defense, and Cousins won’t be able to provide either. It’s sad to see his star fall so sharply in such a short amount of time, but Cousins, in his current state, is not a fit with the Nets.
