Report: Mavs expected to 'go hard' after DeMarcus Cousins in 2018
The Dallas Mavericks are expected to "go hard" after DeMarcus Cousins when the Sacramento Kings big man hits unrestricted free agency at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reports.
The Mavericks have just over $38 million tied up in guaranteed salaries for the 2018-19 season, meaning they'd have ample cap room to sign the 6-foot-11 center.
While Cousins could make more money by staying in Sacramento, he's yet to make the postseason in his career and may be willing to leave the Kings in order to be part of a winning team. However, Dallas has a long history of whiffing on big-name free agents, and could struggle to land Cousins should they fail to go deep into the playoffs over the next two seasons.
Dallas attempted to solve their center woes by acquiring Andrew Bogut from the Golden State Warriors this offseason, but the 31-year-old is unlikely to be a long-term solution down low.
After earning All-NBA honors in each of the last two seasons, Cousins will certainly be considered one of the top free agents on the market two summers from now.
In 65 games this past season, Cousins averaged 26.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks on 45.1 percent shooting.