The Boston Celtics won’t be able to secure the services of former All-NBA second-team center DeMarcus Cousins for the 2019-20 NBA season resumption.
Shams Charania of the Athletic tweeted out the news that the Boston Celtics–or any other team for that matter–will not be signing DeMarcus Cousins for the final eight games of the NBA season and the postseason that will follow.
Sources: Multiple teams have expressed interest in DeMarcus Cousins but have been told the four-time All-Star will sit out the resumed season and continue rehab for full return in 2020-21.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2020
Cousins was seen as one of the top targets during the NBA’s transaction window that begins today. Teams like the Washington Wizards mulled signing him to get a test run for next season, while former Grizzlies Vice President of Basketball Operations John Hollinger believed “Boogie” would be a fit for the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics.
While he would have brought a new level of versatility to the center position for the C’s, the team may be better off adding any new bodies into the mix as it gears up for a playoff run as a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference.
Chemistry has been a strong suit for the team this season just one year after the team was dismantled due to clashing egos and ideologies in 2018-19. Cousins, while nowhere near the troublemaker he was painted as in his run in Sacramento, is far more explosive than the current personalities Boston possesses.
While it would have been fun to see him in green and white–or really anywhere for that matter–it makes sense to not further risk injury in this unique situation the league is returning in and instead focus on being healthy for the entirety of next season.