Nuggets to make no-brainer move, sign Cousins for the rest of the year
Feb 22, 2022, 3:37 PM
The Denver Nuggets were quiet at the NBA trade deadline. But they made a move on Tuesday afternoon that will continue to bolster their chances of making a deep playoff run.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Denver will sign center DeMarcus Cousins to a contract for the rest of the season “in the coming days.”
Cousins, who played for head coach Michael Malone part of two seasons in Sacramento, is a four-time All-Star who has bounced around the NBA in recent years. He has seemingly found a home in Denver this season, however.
Playing on multiple 10-day contracts in recent weeks, the Nuggets are 8-0 with Cousins in the lineup. He’s averaged a modest 6.1 points and 6.3 rebounds during that span, but Denver desperately needed depth at center behind reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Cousins has filled that void nicely.
The decision to sign “Boogie” for the rest of the season is a no-brainer. He brings a toughness Denver has been missing and helps solidify a bench unit that has been dismal for most of the 2021-22 season.
Cousins already has four technical fouls with the Nuggets and one ejection, but that’s nothing new for the former Kentucky product. Malone and Nuggets President Tim Connelly know what they’re getting with Cousins and are seemingly willing to roll the dice.
And then there’s the most-important piece of this entire puzzle – Jokic. Like it or not, NBA teams need their stars to approve of these type of decisions, and Jokic is clearly on board. In a recent postgame press conference, “The Joker” said his opinion of Cousins has changed considerably since becoming teammates.
“I love him. Before, we were kind of rivals. He’s actually a really good guy. Fun to be around. Great personality. Can get a little bit crazy when the refs don’t go his way,” Jokic said. “He proved me wrong.”
With Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray hoping to return before the playoffs, the Nuggets can ride the spark those two max players provide with the full-time addition of Cousins.
A championship is still a lofty goal, but with a quiet trade deadline behind them, the Nuggets do have their own reinforcements coming. Cousins was the first step of that puzzle on Tuesday.
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