The Hornets and DeMarcus Cousins? There’s a case for it, but only for this price
The Houston Rockets are reportedly releasing center DeMarcus Cousins. Should the Charlotte Hornets be interested?
Undoubtedly, the Hornets could use another center with experience and size. The Hornets play lots of small-ball this season and resort to zone defense frequently, looking to protect the rim but giving up 3-pointers in abundance.
The more complex question is whether Cousins — in his 10th NBA season and with an injury history — is the best use of the Hornets’ open roster spot and flexibility below the salary cap.
Breaking down the Hornets’ and Cousin’s situations:
Why DeMarcus Cousins will be available
Cousins, who turned 30 in August, wanted more playing time than the Rockets would provide after Houston committed to free agent Christian Wood in the offseason. Cousins is a four-time All-Star, but he’s had serious injuries, particularly a torn Achilles tendon in 2018, that have detracted from his play.
Cousins has been a decent reserve for the Rockets, averaging 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds, but his shooting percentage is a career-low 37.6% and his defensive mobility isn’t good these days.
Why the Hornets could use him
Center has been a Charlotte area of concern all season. Cody Zeller has played solidly as the starter since missing a month with a broken finger (averaging 9.6 points, 7.8 rebounds in 23.7 minutes per game), but the depth is shaky: Bismack Biyombo isn’t up to major minutes in his 10th NBA season, and playing 6-foot-7 P.J. Washington as a small-ball center is more a change-up than a solution.
In an effort to compensate for the lack of one true rim-protector, coach James Borrego has packed his defense tightly into the lane. That concedes numerous open 3-pointers.
The Utah Jazz made a franchise-record 28 3s Monday against the Hornets. Charlotte is giving up an average of 15.3 3s this season, second-worst in the NBA to New Orleans (16.1). Much of that is the tumble-down effect of the extremes the Hornets must accept to defend the lane.
The Hornets are also third-worst in defensive-rebounding percentage, after being last in that category last season.
Hornets’ roster and cap trade-offs
In a season when the NBA salary cap didn’t rise, the Hornets are one of only three teams with flexibility below the $109 million cap.
The Hornets have about $4 million in cap space, after they stretched the final season of Nic Batum’s contract to add Gordon Hayward. The New York Knicks have $15 million and the Oklahoma City Thunder has $2.6 million.
Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak has also left open a roster spot. The combination of cap space and a roster spot could be valuable around the March 25 trade deadline, particularly if another team is searching for a way to get below the luxury-tax threshold. That team might offer the Hornets a draft pick, for instance, to absorb a contract for the rest of the season.
Acquiring Cousins would fill that roster spot and likely eat into the cap space. Kupchak would have to project whether Cousins can help more than those cap-management advantages at the deadline.
Is Cousins worth it?
I think he’d help some, because the Hornets need more experienced bodies at center. Borrego’s actions so far say he’s not ready to put either of two second-round rookies, Vernon Carey or Nick Edwards, in games with the result still in doubt.
But I don’t believe Cousins would replace Zeller as the starter. I think he’d likely play most of the minutes Biyombo now gets as a backup, and Borrego isn’t likely to abandon small-ball with Washington at center over Cousins’ presence.
If the Hornets can get Cousins on the cheap — as in a minimum salary with no guaranteed money beyond this season — give it a shot. But sure don’t get into even a slight bidding war for his services. Anything beyond a rental for this season would feel like an overpay.
This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 1:08 PM.
