It was only a few days ago that four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins announced his intentions to never again return to the NBA. The near seven-footer is currently playing in Taiwan for the Taiwan Beer Leopards.
Speaking to Rachel Nichols, the 33-year-old Cousins shared his thoughts on the recently injured Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, and how he hopes he never puts the Atlanta jersey on again. He also has a team in mind that he would like to see him join.
DeMarcus Cousins Comments on Star Player He’d Like to See Switch Teams
Star Point Guard to Miss at Least a Month
In the Hawks’ loss to the Toronto Raptors last Friday, Young sustained a finger injury. It was announced by Atlanta on Sunday that the three-time All-Star has a torn ligament in his left pinkie finger. He is set to undergo surgery today and will be re-evaluated in about four weeks.
Now in his sixth season, it has been another typical productive year for Young. In 51 games, Young has averaged 26.4 points and 10.8 assists.
Four weeks from now, the Hawks will have just 11 games remaining in their regular season schedule. It remains to be seen if the team just decides to shut him down for the season at that point.
Boogie Has a Team in Mind for Young to Join
Cousins told Nichols that he believes Young’s talent and prime is being wasted with the Hawks. He also stated that he hopes that is the last we have seen of Young in an Atlanta jersey and that he’d love to see him get moved to the San Antonio Spurs. Demarcus Cousins commented that Young could be a perfect partner for the 21-year-old Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.
After the Hawks were a surprise entrant in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020-21, they haven’t come close to being a contender since. They have been a middling team the following two seasons going a combined 84-80 and were eliminated in the first round both times. After the 2021-22 season, Atlanta acquired Dejounte Murray in a blockbuster deal, but the move hasn’t seemed to work out. This season, they are currently 10th in the Eastern Conference at 25-32.
Meanwhile, the Spurs have been one of the worst teams in the league this season at 11-47. That is dead last in the Western Conference. Despite that, rookie wunderkind Wembanyama has been more than living up to the substantial hype surrounding him entering the season. He is averaging 20.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.3 blocks in 52 outings.
It is evident that Wembanyama should be a cornerstone for the team for some time, now the team needs to surround him with more talent. An offense featuring Young and Wembanyama seems like a cheat code. It has been well-documented that Young is not a good defender, but Wembanyama looks like a transcendent one. He can make up for some of Young’s deficiencies at that end.
It will be an interesting offseason for the Hawks as they may decide to rebuild by moving on from Young and/or Murray.
