The new CBA that was recently agreed to by the league owners and NBA Players Association came with a lot of changes. One of the more talked about ones was the new extensions that gives a huge advantage for teams hoping to keep their star players.
One of the first players who could potentially benefit from that is Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. Even though he has been the center of trade rumors for years, he is eligible for a major extension this summer, and he very well may take it.
According to James Ham CSNBayArea.com, Cousins is expected to sign an extension with the Kings worth over $200 million:
“CSN California has confirmed through a league source that the two sides have tossed around numbers and that barring a late change in direction by either side, Cousins intends to sign a massive, max-money extension, estimated at roughly $207 million during the offseason that will keep the big man in a Kings uniform long-term.”
One issue that team owners had with the previous CBA was that star players had no incentive to take extensions with the team as they could make far more money by waiting until free agency to sign, even if they wanted to stay. That is no longer the case and Cousins’ potential extension is proof of that.
Players of his nature would be sacrificing over $70 million to go to free agency. That is a lot of money to give up and a major reason why a team like the Los Angeles Lakers will have major difficulties obtaining a star through free agency now.
Cousins’ play on the court is certainly worthy of that type of money as he is averaging about 28 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. It’s his attitude and demeanor that has caused concerns throughout the league, but that isn’t stopping Sacramento from wanting to lock him down.
