Warriors: How Golden State landed DeMarcus Cousins

In a surprising move, the Warriors signed All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to a one-year/$5.3 million mid-level exception deal on Monday.

The Warriors really ruined the NBA now! Five All-Stars on one team? That’s not fair!

These are some of the typical reactions from Warriors detractors and haters when Yahoo’s Shams Charania broke the news that four-time all-star center DeMarcus Cousins, who has been out with an Achilles injury since January, signed a mid-level exception deal with the back-to-back champion Warriors.

Soon after the news hit the airwaves and circulated through Twitter, Marc Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated reported that Cousins received “zero offers from the other 29 teams.”

It’s not difficult to understand why Cousins did not receive any potential offers from other teams. His Achilles injury scared some teams away, and many front offices around the league didn’t have the money to make him an offer.

Below is the full video of Marc Spears explaining what he heard from Cousins.

There could be several reasons why Cousins wanted to join the Warriors and not just ride the coattails of the defending champs to win a ring.

Throughout his eight years in the league he has never made the playoffs, so that could be a reason for the move. Another reason why he signed with the Warriors could be to prove to the basketball world that he can come back from a catastrophic injury, like a ruptured Achilles, while helping the Warriors win their third title in a row.

Let’s not talk about why he came to the Warriors, but how.

Related Story: Is Adding DeMarcus Cousins Worth the Risk?

When the Warriors drafted Stephen Curry in 2009, not only was the team getting their franchise cornerstone but their organizational culture leader. Steph’s energy and fun-loving spirit and acceptance of everyone in the organization paved the way for the Warriors.

The joy Curry brought on and off the court allowed the Warriors to do a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz in the summer of 2013 that sent center Andris Biedrins and forward Richard Jefferson to the Jazz, while the Warriors received Andre Iguodala from the Denver Nuggets.

That same fun spirit and unselfishness from Curry helped the Warriors infamously sway Kevin Durant to sign with the team in July of 2016. Now, that same boisterous fun-loving culture that nearly every team is trying to emulate entranced Cousins to help bolster this infinity gauntlet of a lineup.

Curry was not the only culture-changer of this organization. Warriors general manager Bob Myers; owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber; and head coach Steve Kerr all had significant roles in the shift from a bottom-dwelling culture to a “have fun going to work” culture.

Myers was the brains of the front office as well as the man who always communicated with his players and coaches about the game or even life outside of basketball. He was serious but would sneak in a joke here or there at a press conference or in conversations with his players.

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Like Myers, Kerr had fun talking to his players and the media saying something with a hint of clever humor. Kerr would also keep practices light and loose with music often blaring in the background, which additionally contributed to the “fun culture” label.

Kerr lets his players have the freedom they desire as long as they play within the flow of the offense. Allowing that freedom and independence to the players provides a unique element to the team: trust.

Kerr trusts that they will be prepared and focused to win. The trust he puts in his team encourages the players will trust one another leading to an egalitarian offense, which results in a more fun work environment.

As much as the “fun culture” has to do with how the Warriors landed Cousins, it goes beyond that.

Back in 2015, the National Basketball Player’s Association came together and decided that with the new television deal money, they would spike the salary cap skyward.

Jeff Siegel, a salary cap guru explains in a series of tweets as to why the player’s association is at fault for creating a massive competitive imbalance.

(via @jgsiegel)

What Siegel means by “cap smoothing” is that the salary cap money would be increased and distributed year after year, instead of having a major salary cap spike that allows a good team with a solid financial situation, like the Warriors, to sign an All-Star like Durant or Cousins.

The lack of “cap smoothing” in 2015 allowed the Warriors to sign Kevin Durant two years ago and Cousins to a mid-level exception deal.

Next: The Warriors did not ruin the NBA

Warriors detractors can blame Durant or Cousins for “ruining the NBA” all they want, but the real culprit of Golden State’s recent success has been the joyful and fun culture led by Curry, Myers and Kerr, and the players for rejecting a smooth increase in cap distribution and producing a cap spike that helped one once NBA bottom-dweller into an all-time dynasty.