The Rockets are fully guaranteeing the minimum-salary contract of veteran center DeMarcus Cousins for the 2020-21 season, according to Friday’s update by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. NBA teams have until Feb. 27 to make those decisions for players with non-guaranteed deals.
Cousins missed most of the last two seasons with a series of severe leg injuries, which explains why he wasn’t able to command a larger contract in last offseason’s free agency. But he has proven to be relatively durable with the Rockets, having played in 25 of the team’s 28 games.
Now 30 years old and in his first season in Houston, Cousins is averaging 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game. He’s a starter at the moment, given the ankle injury to Christian Wood, which made it an easy decision for the Rockets (11-17) to keep Cousins around. The 6-foot-10 big man has also become a valued leader in the locker room.
In 11 games as a starting center for the Rockets, Cousins is averaging 13.3 points and 10.9 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game. While he hasn’t regularly shown the form that made him a four-time All-Star prior to those leg injuries, Cousins has still proven to be a serviceable rotation player and a worthwhile investment — particularly at such a limited cost.
The Houston Rockets have guaranteed center DeMarcus Cousins' $2.3M contract for the rest of the season, sources tell ESPN. Teams have until February 27 to make that decision on non-guaranteed deals.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 19, 2021
