Wednesday night, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that the Bucks plan to waive center DeMarcus Cousins before his contract becomes fully guaranteed on Friday, and that there is "expected to be interest" in him in free agency.
Could the Chicago Bulls be one of those interested teams?
Cousins, who averaged 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in 17 appearances for Milwaukee, would certainly add some frontcourt size to a Bulls team which ranks 27th in the NBA in rebounds per game (42.9). In fact, Cousins notched a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double in his final game with Milwaukee on Wednesday, making the news of his release all the more surprising.
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But Cousins is also past his prime, which featured four All-Star appearances and two All-NBA nods. He would be a suspect fit in the Bulls' aggressive defensive scheme and wouldn't help the roster's overall versatility and athleticism, which underscore their high-octane style of play. And while he remains an effective rebounder, interior scorer and passer for his position, the outside shooting acumen Cousins at one point flashed appears to be fading: He shot just 13-for-48 from 3-point range (27.1 percent), and 0-for-2 from midrange, during his Bucks stint.
Plus, there would be a cost to the Bulls pursuing Cousins. Matt Thomas, whose guarantee date looms this weekend, or someone else would need to be waived to open a roster spot.
Whether the Bulls go after Cousins or not, it's clear he still has a place in the NBA. After beginning the campaign unrostered, he filled in admirably for the defending champions, who still have yet to suit up regular starting center Brook Lopez for a game this season. Bucks GM Jon Horst even hinted at a possible reunion with Cousins in comments to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:
But for now, Cousins' next stop — and whether his travels eventually lead him to Chicago — remains to be seen.
