The Golden State Warriors have shocked the NBA once again, adding a superstar at a significantly lower value than his market dictates.
ESPN is reporting that DeMarcus Cousins has signed with the Warriors for the mid-level exception, which is for 1 year and worth $5.3 million.
This is a remarkable development, and suddenly things these past few days are making a lot more sense in hindsight.
JaVale McGee unexpectedly went to the Los Angeles Lakers on a minimum contract, which evoked a lot of questions.
Team management had always maintained that the Warriors would only use the mid-level exception for the right type of player.
When healthy, Cousins is arguably the most dynamic big man in the entire league, and the Warriors are getting him for just $5.3 million.
It’s not hyperbolic to begin wondering if this is the greatest team-friendly contract that has ever been given out in NBA history.
As fantastic as this is, there are some legitimate concerns. Cousins tore his Achilles on January 26, and it’s unclear when he’ll be set to return to the court.
However, it’s certainly a risk that the Warriors are willing to take to acquire a superstar for just the mid-level exception.
The Warriors actual starting lineup for next season could be Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and DeMarcus Cousins.
Read that sentence over and over again, because this simply doesn’t seem real. Those are 5 superstars all in the prime of their careers.
There’s a decent case to be made that every single one of those guys is a top 15 player in this league, and now they’re all on the same team.
The league will have to deal with the aftermath of this monumental decision, and the Warriors have shown once again that they are still the premier team in this league.