DeMarcus Cousins just signed a one year deal for $3.5 million. The same DeMarcus Cousins who was in line for a supermax deal just a couple of years ago.
I definitely hate that he's now a Laker but it's been pretty widely reported that there simply was no market for him. I never believed that the Spurs had any real interest. Beyond not necessarily being a good fit for a team that already has spacing issues on offense I just can't see Pop at the end of his career wanting to coach Boogie. The only other rumor was that Miami might be interested. It's hard for me to call Boogie a ring chaser when he fired his agent this off-season, presumably because he was unable to get him offers.
From the time DMC was an all-star for the Kings there were reports that many teams had him on a no-trade, no-sign list. I remember being angry at what Vlade got in return for him from the Pelicans and wondering why Boston (among others) didn't put together a stronger offer. As it turns out, Danny Ainge simply had no interest even at what I saw as pennies on the dollar. And that was back when he was playing incredible basketball. Now that he's older with an Achilles tear in his past there is even less interest.
All that to say that I can't really begrudge the guy for joining the Lakers. Just as with everyone complaining last year that it was unfair that he signed on the cheap with the Warriors, my only thought is: then why didn't anyone else sign him? I mean, Ivica Zubac and Boban Marjonavic were prioritized by teams over Cousins.
I can't root for the Lakers. I can't. And I never will. But I may root for Cousins to have a good season. Because if he doesn't I think his career is more or less over after this year. Both he and Isaiah Thomas were in line for huge contracts only to have injuries completely derail their careers. And I never wanted to see that. In Cousin's case, his attitude issues always clouded his on-court brilliance and now if he can't regain some of his past form those same attitude issues (along with a changing NBA) will mean that teams won't want to bother with him.
As much as I struggled with Boogie as a King at times I don't want to see that happen to a guy who was once so amazing and who should be in the middle of his prime.