Nuggets Signing DeMarcus Cousins To 10-Day Contract: Reports

DENVER, CO —DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins, a 10-year NBA veteran, was expected to sign a 10-day contract with the Denver Nuggets on Friday, according to ESPN basketball analyst Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 31-year-old Cousins, a four-time NBA all-star, is a free agent and reportedly has been in negotiations with Denver for two weeks. The Nuggets would be the center's seventh team.

The 6-foot-10, 270-pound Cousins already played 17 games this season for the Milwaukee Bucks, where he averaged 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds. He scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a loss to the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 5.

However, the Bucks released Cousins the following day instead of guaranteeing his contract for the rest of the season.

Bucks general manager Jon Horst told ESPN that the organization had been pleased with Cousins' contribution this season.

"We wouldn't have been able to get through this difficult stretch of the season as successfully as we did without DeMarcus," Horst said. "At the end of the day, we made a strategic decision to have an open roster spot, but there's nothing that would prevent us from partnering with DeMarcus again down the road. He was so good for us, and hopefully we helped him, too."

Cousins spent his first six NBA seasons in Sacramento, and then went to play in New Orleans, Golden State, Houston, for the Los Angeles Clippers and then for the Bucks. He has averaged 20.1 points and 10.4 rebounds during his career.

Cousins suffered a torn left Achilles tendon while playing for the Pelicans in 2018, and he missed the entire 2019-20 seasons with a torn ACL in his left knee.

Though he hasn't returned to the form that saw him named to four consecutive All-Star teams between 2015 and 2018, Cousins has been a productive role player since the injuries.

Gage Bridgford, who covers the Nuggets for DenverStiffs.com, said he expects Denver to use Cousins as a backup for Nikola Jokic, the reigning NBA MVP.

"Cousins signing with Denver gives the team a true backup center behind Jokic, which is a position they've lacked this year, as they've more often opted to play a small-ball center during his bench minutes," Bridgford wrote. "This will be a key stretch of games for Denver, and they'll likely have Cousins playing around 15 minutes a night or more in some of these matchups, including against his most recent team as Denver has a matchup in Milwaukee on January 30th."

Wojnarowski said that under the 10-day contract, Cousins will be eligible for six games, beginning with Friday night's home game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Entering that contest, the Nuggets are 23-20 and in the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference playoff race.