Boston Celtics: Ranking the top 5 DeMarcus Cousins landing spots
2. Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are not quite the best option for DeMarcus Cousins, but they are pretty close.
Danny Ainge has been opting to acquire talent in the draft he could mold long-term over pursuing veterans on short-term deals, but that strategy hasn’t been paying off in 2020-21, with the team struggling to mine production out of its youngsters.
Then again, the one-year signing of Jeff Teague was one that would have similar implications to a Cousins signing…but that deal has not been a fruitful one for the Cs so far this season.
Ultimately, though, a Cousins-Celtics union would be one out of necessity, with the team needing seemingly any spark to stop the bleeding. Losers of four of their last 11 contests, Boston is in dire need of an offensive infusion to take the load off of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Cousins could be just that, and given his ability to find open cutters diving to the basket from the top of the key, Tatum, Brown, Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, and Payton Pritchard would all benefit from the big’s playmaking abilities.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
According to the Kevin O’Connor, the Lakers will be one of the teams in pursuit of Cousins following his imminent split from the Houston Rockets:
Sources: The Lakers will be among the teams to pursue DeMarcus Cousins.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 20, 2021
The market will be limited for Cousins, sources say. He has struggled this year after returning from multiple major injuries. But for LA or any team in need of big man depth, few options bring higher upside.
It makes all the sense in the world that LA would be looking for a Boogie return given Anthony Davis’ recent injury and the team’s minor standings-slide themselves.
Losers of three of their last four games, the Lakers could use a mid-season spark pre-All-Star break, and the odds are great that Cousins will be just that very soon.
Next. A blockbuster deal to nab Harrison Barnes and John Collins. dark