Is this the end of the road for DeMarcus Cousins in the NBA?

Is this the end of the road for DeMarcus Cousins in the NBA? 

Less than five years ago, DeMarcus Cousins was in line to receive a max contract extension from the New Orleans Pelicans. He had just been traded to New Orleans and playing alongside Anthony Davis, it appears that the Pelicans had two solid foundations for the next half-decade.

Four years later, Davis is playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and in preparation to make a run towards a second NBA Championship while Cousins is hoping for another shot in the league.

It was a torn Achilles, a bad quad injury, and then a torn ACL that has derailed his career over the last four seasons. Now, with less than a month until training camps open for the 2021-22 NBA season, Cousins is left without a contract and there’s no guarantee that he’s going to be in the NBA this season.

Last season, Cousins played for the LA Clippers in which he averaged eight points and five rebounds on 54 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent shooting from 3-point range. He also played in seven games for the team in the playoffs.

Cousins looked good in spurts, but still leaves much to be desired defensively and lacks the consistency that he had earlier in his career. At 31, Cousins is at a bit of a crossroads in his career. Does he try to continue to carve out a niche in the NBA? Does he try the overseas waters in an attempt to gain a true second act to his overall basketball career?

Looking back at Cousins’ career could end up being one of the biggest “what if” in league history. Cousins was one of the first big men to make way for the versatile offensive bigs that we see today. The NBA’s bigs wouldn’t be what they are if not for the likes of Cousins setting the way a decade ago.

It’s a shame that we never got to see the fully evolved version of Cousins in the NBA. But, make no mistake, his mark was left on the league, whether you want to believe it or not.

Even if Cousins elects to leave the NBA and take his chances overseas or, perhaps more surprisingly, retire altogether, he will be remembered fondly by most basketball fans.