Boston Celtics: 3 free agent bigs C’s should pursue this summer

DeMarcus Cousins

Being one of the most storied franchises in league history, the Boston Celtics oft find themselves amongst the top stories pertaining to the NBA. One of their most recent subjects: could they be in the running to sign free agent center DeMarcus Cousins?

First brought to light by FanSided’s own Jason Reed of Lake Show Life, the possibility of the C’s signing Boogie seems more realistic than one would have previously thought and, honestly, has the potential to be more impactful as well:

"“With little cap space, the Celtics should be jumping all over signing Cousins to a mid-level exception contract for a season with the potential of him being a true difference-maker. Barring any setbacks, he should be fully healthy for the start of the 2020-2021 NBA season and the potential of him as the team’s stretch five is intriguing, to say the least. If Cousins returned to 80 percent of what he was during his All-NBA seasons then it would undoubtedly give the Celtics the deepest roster in the Eastern Conference and the most dynamic.”"

The past couple of seasons have been tough on the talented big. Tearing his Achilles in 2017 while in the midst of having easily his best season a pro (averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 points, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals & blocks on 47 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from deep), Cousins found himself struggling to find a team willing to take a chance on him during that summer’s free agency period.

Winding up accepting a midlevel exception deal with the Golden State Warriors, the center was willing to bet on himself that he could once again produce at a high level while also helping a team win in the process. He played 30 games for the team in the regular season and eight games for them in the postseason, all while showing flashes of what he was prior to injury (averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks on 48 percent shooting from the field).

After that year’s postseason, Cousins inked yet another ‘prove-it’ deal, this time with the Los Angeles Lakers, providing them with a potentially lethal Big-3 of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and himself. Unfortunately, however, this menacing trio never got the chance to take the court together, for Cousins ended up tearing his ACL during a workout just months before the 2019-20 season.

The Lakers would go on to eventually wave the center, but allowed him to train and recover using their facilities.

Now, at 29 years old — 30 once the 2020 season commences — the once menacing DeMarcus Cousins sadly finds himself fighting for his career.

The Boston Celtics should certainly consider helping the 4x All-Star keep his NBA dream alive for three specific reasons:

1. As we all know, they need to bolster their center rotation
2. They’ll be strapped for cash this summer and DeMarcus Cousins could be had at a minimum deal
3. When healthy, he’s arguably the best center in the league

Once could say a Cousins singing is a risk/ reward situation. However, from the Houdini’s perspective, at that cost, the rewards easily outweigh the risks.

A lineup consisting of Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum and a healthy DeMarcus Cousins would easily be the best starting five in the Eastern Conference and could even contend for the best in the entire association as well.

At the very least, we hope Danny Ainge considers the idea of bringing on Boogie.