Golden State Warriors: Should the Warriors consider re-signing DeMarcus Cousins?

The Golden State Warriors have just lost the NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors, losing Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson to significant injuries in the process. Will the Warriors bring back DeMarcus Cousins this summer?

After Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson suffered a torn Achilles and ACL, respectively, during the NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors are no longer the favorites next season.

With issues stemming from their lack of depth and 2019 (injured) free agents Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, the Warriors have to make several important decisions this summer.

KD and Klay and likely not going to play next season due to the nature of their injuries, so the Warriors must decide if they are willing to be patient and wait until the 2021-22 season to contend for another championship.

DeMarcus Cousins is a free agent this summer and can decide to remain a Warrior or seek a hefty payday elsewhere. Steve Kerr has gone on record to state that regardless if he and the Warriors organization are interested in re-signing Cousins, he wants him to thrive financially (which won’t be possible in Golden State).

Additionally, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston (become free agents in 2020) are on the back-end of their careers, as Livingston is considering retirement before next season.

Kerr and the Warriors management must try and seek some veterans that they can afford for next season.

Current Roster

The players who are currently on the Warriors’ roster under contract are Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Sean Livingston, Damian Jones, Jacob Evans, and Alfonzo McKinnie.

The Warriors are obviously nowhere near contending next season with this current roster.

Clearly, the Warriors must try and sign some free agents who can start and eventually become backups for KD and Klay upon their return from injury a year from now (on the assumption both are re-signed, which is highly likely).

Additionally, if the Warriors go ahead and convince Cousins to re-sign even on a one or two-year deal, they can put themselves in a position to possibly contend again next season.

Cousins showed flashes of his pre-injury form throughout the NBA Finals, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a deep Toronto Raptors team.

Having a Big Three of Curry, Draymond and Cousins is not a terrible backup plan as long as the Warriors can add some talent this offseason. Kerr can start Iggy at small forward, Cousins at center, and decide on who to sign to start at the shooting guard position next season.

If Kerr and the Warriors are able to convince Cousins to stay next season (or longer) and share the reins on offense with Curry while returning to his All-Star form, they will once again be favorites (even more so) for the next several years after next season when KD and Klay return.

One factor is that although this may not be a statement of commitment from Cousins, he recently stated that “he would go to war with that dude anywhere” when asked about his relationship with Draymond Green. Green can be an integral piece to re-signing Cousins, as he had influence in bringing in KD three years ago after their historic loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

We have to keep in mind that although the Warriors possess the best-case scenario for Cousins in regards to championships (and a championship window) for the next few years, he still wants to seek his biggest payday and become the focal point of another franchise.

We all would not be surprised if Kerr and the Warriors take a complete step back next season and add a couple of veterans while developing some young talent next year. Doing so would round out their roster in preparation for their next several championship runs.