The Milwaukee Bucks have dealt with a variety of injuries to key players throughout the 2021-22 NBA season. While Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday are each actively in the lineup, Brook Lopez has continued to remain sidelined.
Lopez is an important component of this Bucks team, but he has appeared in a game since Opening Night of this season and will be 34-years-old by the end of the regular season. Milwaukee has looked to external options to help add some depth to the center position as a result.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bucks plan to sign NBA veteran center DeMarcus Cousins to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract. He will join a a center rotation that has involved Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis while Lopez remains sidelined.
There is still no definitive timetable for Lopez’s return from a lower back injury. He has publicly expressed optimism about his progress in his recovery efforts, but never outright put a date as a target for a return.
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“My low back has been coming along pretty positively the last couple of weeks. We’ve done some off-court stuff the past couple of days and we just keep ramping it up. It’s going very well,” Lopez said on November 19 in an interview with The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
When asked about the report about DeMarcus Cousins signing a one-year deal with the Bucks, coach Mike Budenholzer made it clear the team has been forced to get creative with their center choices. Adding another player like Cousins would surely help to add clarity to the position group.
“When you look at the depth chart and look at how we’re subbing, depth at the big position is something that we could use,” Budenholzer said, via ESPN.
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There is plenty to like about the idea of adding DeMarcus Cousins into the mix for the Milwaukee Bucks. While he’s been a defensive liability for many years, his perimeter shooting skills for a big of his size adds some fascinating possibilities while having teammates to help cover him up on defense.
DeMarcus Cousins last played for the LA Clippers but was under contract for just 16 games after his tenure with the Houston Rockets came to a close. He averaged 8.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 17.4 minutes per game last season.
