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DeMarcus Cousins’ move to the Golden State Warriors has broken the NBA

JUST 24 hours after the basketballing world learned that LeBron James would be joining the LA Lakers news broke that the entire competition has become meaningless.

3 min read
July 3, 2018 - 10:39AM
DeMarcus Cousins is joining the Golden State Warriors in a shock Free Agency move. Picture: Getty Images
DeMarcus Cousins is joining the Golden State Warriors in a shock Free Agency move. Picture: Getty Images

JUST 24 hours after the basketballing world learned that LeBron James would be joining the LA Lakers news broke that the entire competition has become meaningless.

DeMarcus Cousins is heading to the Golden State Warriors, looking for a title. Cousins has agreed to accept a one-year deal to join the two-time defending NBA champions for $5.3 million.

The terms were confirmed to The Associated Press by a person directly involved in the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed.

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It’s a low-risk, high-reward move for the Warriors, with Cousins set to return at some point this season once he completes his recovery from tearing his Achilles tendon in January.

Cousins averaged 25.2 points last season for New Orleans, and for his career the six-time All-Star averages 21.5 points and 11 rebounds.

Everyone else is officially competing for second place.

LAKERS ADD VETERAN GUARD

Fiesty guard Rajon Rondo is heading to the LA Lakers. Picture: AP Photo
Fiesty guard Rajon Rondo is heading to the LA Lakers. Picture: AP Photo

A day after its bombshell signing of LeBron James, Los Angeles agreed to a one-year deal with Rajon Rondo, ESPN reported Monday.

The Lakers are jostling their roster, also reportedly renouncing the rights to forward Julius Randle, making him a free agent.

With Rondo as a pass-first point guard without much of a shot, he’s a sensible backup to Lonzo Ball, unless he beats out LaVar Ball’s son for the job. Last year, the 32-year-old averaged 8.3 points and 8.2 assists in 65 games with the Pelicans.

SIMMONS’ 76ERS RETAIN VETERAN

The 76ers couldn’t land LeBron James, but the up-and-coming squad made its first move to ensure it doesn’t take a step back.

Philadelphia re-signed free agent sharpshooter J.J. Redick to a one-year deal Monday, worth $12-13 million, according to ESPN. Redick, 34, averaged a career-high 17.1 points, while hitting 42 percent of 3-pointers, in his first year with the 76ers last season, and provided a veteran presence on the young team, helping Philadelphia reach the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Redick’s reduced salary — he made $23 million on a one-year deal last season — leaves Philadelphia with roughly $14 million in cap space.

UTAH RETURN THE FAVORS

Derrick Favors will remain Utah’s longest-tenured player. The 26-year-old big man, who has been with the Jazz since being traded from the Nets as a rookie in 2011, re-signed with Utah on a two-year deal, worth more than $36 million.

Last season, the former No. 3-overall pick averaged 12.3 points and 7.2 rebounds, while shooting a career-high 56.3 percent from the field, helping the Jazz to the second round of the playoffs.

OKC SIGN NERLENS NOEL

Nerlens Noel is on the move again. The 24-year-old former lottery pick, who split his first five seasons with Philadelphia and Dallas, signed a two-year deal with the Thunder for the veteran’s minimum, with the second season a player option, according to multiple reports.

Noel has appeared in just 223 games since joining the league — and 30 last season — and is coming off the worst season of his once-promising career, averaging 4.4 points and 5.6 rebounds.

JULIUS RANDLE LANDS WITH PELICANS

Julius Randle is going to play alongside All-Star Anthony Davis. Randle agreed to sign with the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, doing so quickly after his rights were renounced by the Los Angeles Lakers hours earlier. His decision was confirmed by a person familiar with the negotiations and speaking on condition of anonymity because nothing has been signed.

ESPN, which first reported the Randle agreement, said it was a two-year, $18 million deal.

The move pairs Randle in the Pelicans’ frontcourt with Davis, another former Kentucky star.

Davis and DeMarcus Cousins formed perhaps the best 1-2 frontcourt punch in basketball last season before Cousins got hurt. And now, Cousins has gone to the defending NBA champions after agreeing Monday to a one-year, $5.3 million deal to sign with the Golden State Warriors.

NBA STARS REACT TO LATEST FREE AGENCY MOVES

Originally published as DeMarcus Cousins’ move to the Golden State Warriors has broken the NBA

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/us-sports/demarcus-cousins-move-to-the-golden-state-warriors-has-broken-the-nba/news-story/5a05aade4bc3c8a7e088185de453f3a4