DeMarcus Cousins Has Switched Agents

(Photo via Getty Images)

Over half a week into free agency and free agent DeMarcus Cousins has still yet to be signed to an NBA team.

After it was reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that there is “not a market” for the former Kentucky big, Cousins has since switched agents.

According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Cousins has let go of his longtime manager, Andrew Rogers, and is now a client of Jeff Schwartz. Schwartz works with the sports management group, Excel Sports.

The former All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, in his search for a new home in free agency after spending last season with the Warriors, has changed representation … enlisting the influential agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 3, 2019

All you need to know about Schwartz is that he is an excellent agent. He recently secured a four-year, $40 million deal for DeAndre Jordan, basically because Jordan is friends with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Schwartz also represents Harrison Barnes, who is the ultimate finesser, and was able to secure him another long term deal, this time for four-years, $85 million. On top of those two, Schwartz also represents Kevin Love, CJ McCollum, and Blake Griffin, all of whom have recently signed lucrative, long-term deals.

Basically, he gets players paid. Even if they don’t necessarily deserve it. Now it’s time to see what he can do for Cousins.

But with money drying up quick, teams haven’t been scouting Cousins hard – if at all. As Woj said, he doesn’t have a market right now and Willie Cauley-Stein used up the money that the Golden State Warriors could have offered him. Cousins could be looking at signing another mid-level exception with a team such as the Los Angeles Lakers, especially if they strike out on Kawhi Leonard.

It’s almost hard to believe that a player of Cousins caliber is going so unnoticed. Obviously, the injury history is worrying, but he was still named to six straight All-Star teams before the Achilles tear. He’s not even 29 years old yet. He’s not a finished product. He might not ever return to the Cousins we saw in 2017, but there is a starting center in there once he’s fully healthy.

And this gamble won’t take months to even see if it will pay off. Cousins didn’t return last season until mid-January, but he was expected to miss time. This year, he won’t be. Whoever signs Cousins is going to want to have him on the opening night roster. That’s a massive difference from last season – AND HE STILL GOT SIGNED. Someone is going to take Cousins on for cheap and reap the benefits.

CORRECTION: Cousins’ most recent agent was Jarinn Akana of Dynasty Sports, not Andrew Rogers.