The Dallas Mavericks have no reason to change it up this season but may consider adjusting if an interesting player becomes available. But at the way the contract buyout market is developing right now, the Mavs are likely to stay the course with their current roster.
One name that comes to mind is DeMarcus Cousins. Most know how the Mavericks tried to get the 29-year-old center back in 2018 but Cousins ended up joining the Golden State Warriors. Ironically, the all-star center was rehabbing from an ACL injury at the time and most teams showed no interest in investing in Boogie.
Right now, Cousins is practically in the same predicament. He suffered an ACL injury prior to the start of the 2019-20 NBA season and has yet to play a single minute with the Los Angeles Lakers. There was a stretch were head coach Frank Vogel appeared to hint that Cousins would return in time for the playoffs. He would later on go back on that revelation and the 6-foot-10 would eventually be waived. The Lakers decided to waive the 5th overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft to make room for recently bought-out player Markieff Morris, NBA.com reported.
Cousins is still technically with the Lakers unless some team picks him up. The Mavericks were a potential team but team owner Mark Cuban sees no need to make changes to the roster at this point. He stresses that they don’t have a roster spot open and have no plans to release anyone from the active roster, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Things could change in the summer for both the Mavericks and Cousins. Cousins will be a curious player to check out in the summer, assuming he is 100 percent healthy and ready to play. The Mavericks could make another play for him, similar to what they did in 2018 but in a different scenario. The center slot is one of the positions that could use improvement in the Dallas side and Cousins could fit that need. However, it still depends on Boogie’s bill of health.
There is no doubt that the Mavs, Lakers or any other team will be wary to give the temperamental center a long-term deal. The numbers on the contract are likely to be far from the max numbers he was expecting several years ago, a reality due to his spate of injuries. The Lakers remain a top spot for the four-time All-Star. But if a team is willing to offer him a higher offer and longer deal, expect Cousins to boogie somewhere else.
