NBA Rumors: Warriors Leave Door Open For DeMarcus Cousins

For the Golden State Warriors, the 2018-19 NBA season is something that was hard to deal with. Key players led by Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson fell one after the other, leaving the dethroned NBA champions undermanned. Ironically, they started out last season without a key acquisition in DeMarcus Cousins. Looking ahead, the Warriors feel that there is a chance that the temperamental big man could return.

No less that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes that seeing Cousins return next NBA season is a possibility. However, he cautions that it still depends on what Boogie wants. Will it be money or a chance at the NBA title. With the timeline on Durant or Thompson's return, Cousins could be one of the solutions that Kerr would need for the 2019-20 NBA wars. However, he would have to sit down with the 28-year-old All-Star center first and discuss his goals.

And like most NBA free agents out to test the waters this summer, it may all boil down to money. Cousins agreed to a one-year deal with Golden State worth $5.2 million. He will become an unrestricted free agent and will likely check out the pitches and see the best remuneration package on the table. For the Dubs, the good news so far is that he is open to returning for another NBA run.

Hence, it all boils down to the money. According to Yahoo Sports, The CBA only allowed them to offer a modest raise to $6.4 million after he signed for a taxpayer mid-level exception at $5.2 million. There is no question that Cousins is deserving of a max contract if any team would take the risk. He could have gotten that as early as last NBA offseason before he went down with a torn Achilles. There were several teams who talked to him although he decided to join the Warriors since they had good chances of winning another NBA title.

Speaking of injuries, there is no question that Cousins is not yet at 100-percent. Though he was instrumental in some games of the 2018-19 NBA Finals, it remains that he is far off from the dominant force that NBA fans know him to be. That could very well factor in the numbers crunch for the Warriors and other teams who express interest. But in the end, the final decision will come from Cousins as to where he will be playing next NBA season.