Once again, the stars align for the Golden State Warriors as they agree with DeMarcus Cousins to a one-year deal at $5.3 million.
For fans who believe the Warriors ruined the NBA, today is your lucky day. According to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, the Golden State Warriors have agreed to a deal with DeMarcus Cousins. And the two-time defending champs are getting the All-Star at bargain-bin pricing.
The Warriors nearly fell to the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals. But other than James Harden’s squad, they faced no real threat this season.
Cousins is joining Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Four bonafide stars that already looked to be overwhelming favorites in 2018-19.
Adding a proven star to a team with four future Hall of Famers turns the Warriors into an absolute juggernaut. Of course, Cousins is coming off a devastating Achilles injury that will sideline him until midseason, but there’s no downplaying this signing.
The Warriors might as well start planning the parade. They already won their third straight championship and fourth in five years. If not for a Draymond Green suspension and a monumental performance from LeBron James, the NBA would be staring down a fifth straight Warriors championship.
But this is even more evidence that players want to go to the right situation. If a team can put together a culture and an environment for their players, they’ll attract guys from all over the league.
By signing a one-year deal with the Warriors, Cousins sets himself up to win a title and allows him to prove that he’s healthy. He may not have been happy with his market due to the injury concerns. This is the perfect situation for him.
Many folks will call Boogie Cousins selfish for this move that is clearly about chasing a title. But how about the aspect of selflessness of this move? Fans have always made the argument that if players really wanted to win they would take less money. This is Boogie taking less money in exchange for a championship and he will be crushed for it.
Any NBA team complaining about the lack of parity shouldn’t be blaming the Warriors. Golden State has built a dynasty without a top-five pick. They’ve convinced the best of the best to play in the Bay Area for less than they can get on the open market. And they are showing no signs of slowing down.
If players decide that they are willing to take less money to play for Golden State, that is less of an indictment on the NBA and more of a validation of the Warriors’ organization as a whole.
The clear message to every other NBA team is to create a functional organization that attracts the best talent.
And for any NBA fans out there complaining about the lack of parity, please think about the idea of parity in the NBA. The league has never and will never be about parity. Usually, the league is dominated by a select few. It just so happens that the Warriors have broken the recent model and separated from the pack.
The NBA has always been about more than just who wins a championship at the end of the year. This isn’t the disaster many will make it out to be. This is just an odd scenario where fans are seeing a world-class organization dominating the competition.
