Though they lost DeMarcus Cousins to the Golden State Warriors, the New Orleans Pelicans did not go down without a fight.
After Cousins agreed to a one-year deal for the $5.3 million midlevel exception with the Warriors on Tuesday, Pelicans beat writer Will Guillory of NOLA.com received a question from Twitter user. The user asked if New Orleans made a free agent offer to Cousins and if it was for more than what Golden State gave. Guillory replied yes on both counts.
Yes and yes https://t.co/xaa9PGaUd2
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) July 3, 2018
Cousins himself suggested otherwise however, telling The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears that he received “no significant offers” in free agency.
Golden State Warriors newcomer DeMarcus Cousins told ESPN's The Undefeated that he had no significant contract offers when free agency arrived, but had already mentally prepared himself for possible disappointment due to his recovery from his Achilles' tendon injury. Cousins…
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) July 3, 2018
It is true that the four-time All-Star Cousins, who is currently recovering from an Achilles tear, received little interest on the open market. However, lesser players who also suffered Achilles tears in contract years (Rudy Gay, Wesley Matthews, etc.) ultimately got decent, non-MLE deals, so it seems like a no-brainer that the Pelicans would field a competitive offer to try to retain him.
What it seems like is that Cousins did not feel he was offered enough to justify staying with a non-title contender. He may also be trying to do a PR spin here to counter the suggestion that he is chasing a cheap ring with the Warriors.
