Newsflash: DeMarcus Cousins still loathes Chris Paul.
Appearing this week on SiriusXM NBA Radio, the former NBA big man Cousins spoke out on the recent trade acquisition of Paul by his old team, the Golden State Warriors. Needless to say, Cousins isn’t a fan of the move.
“I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t understand the Chris Paul trade,” said Cousins. “I looked at it as, ‘Maybe it’s the contract [of Jordan Poole, who was traded for Paul]. Maybe they want to free up the books for the next people.’ But as far as it being about basketball, the x’s and o’s on the court, I don’t really see that elevating the Golden State Warriors to be honest.
“He is up in age,” Cousins added of the 38-year-old Paul. “You got rid of a youthful guy [Poole] for an aging veteran. I’m not taking away anything that Chris Paul has done throughout his career. I’m just speaking on this stage of his career. I don’t see him elevating the Golden State Warriors.”
The four-time NBA All-Star Cousins, who is now playing in Puerto Rico, knows the Warriors fairly well. He played with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green in Golden State under coach Steve Kerr from 2018-19. But Cousins probably isn’t an objective observer here. He has a longstanding feud with Paul dating back roughly a decade (when Cousins was still with the Sacramento Kings and Paul still with the L.A. Clippers). Even in more recent years, Cousins has continued to take digs at Paul and Paul’s legacy.
All that aside though, Cousins might actually be right. Paul is a slow, high-usage player who is coming into an up-tempo, equal-opportunity offense. The way that the Warriors reportedly plan to use him may not be the best way for Paul to succeed either.
