DeMarcus Cousins is restarting his career with the Houston Rockets, as the team announced its signing of him on Tuesday afternoon.
OFFICIAL: Welcome to the squad, @boogiecousins!
📝 » https://t.co/ix2JvH7laN pic.twitter.com/oadYSJvQqH
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) December 1, 2020
Cousins has not played since an injury-abbreviated 2018-19 season with Golden State in which he averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds in 30 regular season games. The production was encouraging given that Cousins was coming off a torn Achilles tendon suffered the previous season with New Orleans. But the versatile 6-foot-10 center’s return was cut short by a torn quadriceps in the first round of the 2019 playoffs, keeping him sidelined until the Finals.
Cousins signed with the Lakers the following season, only to the suffer a torn ACL during preseason workouts that cost him the entire 2019-20 campaign.
The fifth overall pick in the 2010 Draft and a four-time All-Star, Cousins has played in just 78 regular season games over the last three seasons. His arrival comes at a pivotal time for the Rockets, who are working through reported trade requests by superstar guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Houston will also reportedly sign 25-year-old free agent forward Christian Wood.