DeMarcus Cousins has earned just $12 million from NBA contracts ever since his $209 million contract extension from the Kings was rescinded in 2017.
The center was traded to the Pelicans on Feb. 20, 2017, along with Omri Casspi for Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, Buddy Hield, a 2017 first-round draft pick and a 2017 second-round draft pick.
Over the years, since his trade to New Orleans, Cousins has signed a contract with different NBA teams all across the league: Warriors, Lakers, Rockets, Clippers, Bucks and Nuggets.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski offered the best explanation for why the Sacramento Kings withdrew their contract extension to Cousins. The analyst said, “The Kings simply decided that they no longer wanted to let Cousins’ volatility dictate the culture of the locker room, league sources said.”
“In recent weeks, majority owner Vivek Ranadive had become more open to the front office’s willingness to trade Cousins, passing on the commitment to the $209 million extension this summer.”
Why DeMarcus Cousins missed out on $209 million contract
In the 2016-17 NBA season, in 55 games played with the Kings, Cousins averaged 27.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. He recorded career-high scoring numbers that season. However, Sacramento’s front office decided to trade Cousins because of his behavior, so it was not performance related.
“Cousins’ uneven behavior in recent weeks chipped away at Ranadive’s resolve to keep him, and he started to listen more closely to the front office’s push to trade him for assets and rebuild,” continued Wojnarowski.
“Two incidents in particular — an expletive-laced remark DeMarcus Cousins made about Golden State after Sacramento’s overtime win over the Warriors on Feb. 4 and a 17th technical foul, resulting in a two-game suspension, against New Orleans on Feb. 12 — caused Ranadive to have serious concerns about tethering the franchise to Cousins long term.”
| Season | NBA Team | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | Kings | $3,374,640 |
| 2011-12 | Kings | $3,627,720 |
| 2012-13 | Kings | $3,880,800 |
| 2013-14 | Kings | $4,916,974 |
| 2014-15 | Kings | $13,701,250 |
| 2015-16 | Kings | $14,728,844 |
| 2016-17 | Pelicans | $16,957,900 |
| 2017-18 | Pelicans | $18,063,850 |
| 2018-19 | Warriors | $5,337,000 |
| 2019-20 | Lakers | $3,500,000 |
| 2020-21 | Rockets | $1,620,564 |
| 2020-21 | Clippers | $455,091 |
| 2021-22 | Nuggets | $1,138,659 |
| 2021-22 | Bucks | $607,285 |
Cousins has made $12.2 million since signing with the Warriors in 2018
When DeMarcus Cousins signed as a free agent with the Warriors on Jul. 6, 2018, little did anyone know that the center was on the downside of his playing career. The deal was for $5.3 million. Though, Cousins didn’t return to the court until later in the year on Dec. 10.
The center was recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Cousins made his season debut with the Warriors in January 2019. Then, he was ruled out for the remainder of the season in April after tearing his left quadriceps during the playoffs.
In a total of 30 games played with the Warriors in the 2018-19 season, Cousins averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Have injuries contributed to his declining performances over the years? Yes, absolutely.
Also, after signing as a free agent with the Lakers on Jul. 6, 2019, the center never played a single game with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the rest of the Lakers. A month after his signing, he tore his ACL during an offseason scrimmage.
He was then waived by Los Angeles on Feb. 24, 2020.
Now, the Boston Celtics are among the teams interested in pursuing Cousins.
Since signing with the Warriors in 2018, DeMarcus Cousins has earned $12.2 million. The center’s salary was at least $13 million each season from 2013 to 2018. Therefore, he lost a lot of money.
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