2020 NBA Free Agency
While the Rockets free agency was headlined by the sign-and-trade they made for big man Christian Wood, they also made a lot of noise by signing former All-Star center, DeMarcus Cousins, to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal. While he will have to earn his roster spot through Rockets Training Camp, DeMarcus Cousins could be a very valuable asset to James Harden and the entire Houston Rockets organization.
In the last three seasons, DeMarcus Cousins has dealt with a torn Achilles tendon, a torn quadricep and a torn ACL. These are all three significant injuries on their own and for Cousins, all three of these injuries were back-to-back-to-back and have crippled his career over the years. While many players would retire due to these circumstances, Cousins is not only determined to prove all of his doubters wrong, but he is continuing his career for more than just playing the game.
Cousins spoke to the media after signing with the Rockets and talked about how his mom is his inspiration for continuing to fight. He talked about his mom having two jobs and six kids to take care of her entire life and never once saw her complain. He went on to say that he is in no position to to complain about his adversity as a result of what his mother went through and as a result, intends to battle his adversity and be prepared for the season ahead.
Most NBA fans would love to see DeMarcus Cousins come back and play at a high-level again as he was one of the best centers in the league before injuring his Achilles in 2018. Prior to his string of injuries, Cousins had made five consecutive All-Star Games and over the course of his career, has averaged 21.2 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. When healthy, he has proven to be one of the most dominant centers in the league, but nobody knows if he will ever get back to that level of playing.
Aside from signing Wood and Cousins, the Rockets also signed Sterling Brown, Jerian Grant, Jae’Sean Tate and brought back Gerald Green on a training camp deal. Brown joins the Rockets as a 6’5” combo-guard who can play on or off-the-ball. He should be a nice addition as a perimeter player off-the-bench who can provide solid minutes.
Jerian Grant and Jae’Sean Tate are both guys who will have to prove themselves in training camp to earn a solidified roster spot, but are both perimeter-oriented players as well who were great offensive players in college at Notre Dame and Ohio State respectively. Grant has bounced around from team-to-team over the years, while Tate has made a name for himself overseas in Germany and Australia.
This offseason in free agency was clearly about re-establishing the big man back into their rotation for the Houston Rockets. If Cousins can return to the court and be an impact player like he once was, the Rockets could remain as one of the top teams in the Western Conference. They are putting a lot of faith in Christian Wood and DeMarcus Cousins, which could be a very risky move.
