13 Players the Golden State Warriors signed past their prime

4. DeMarcus Cousins

Cousins quickly became one of the league’s best big men after being drafted fifth overall in 2010. He fully broke out in year four as he averaged 22.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks in 32.4 minutes per game. Boogie was an All-Star for the next four years as he became one of the league’s best scorers and rebounders.

The 27-year-old was right in the middle of his prime when he suffered a torn Achilles on Jan. 26, 2018.

Cousins became a free agent the following offseason, but he needed additional time to recover from the devastating injury. The four-time All-Star was lacking options, so he agreed to sign the mid-level exception with the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors. It was a shocking move as the Dubs still had Kevin Durant and were now adding another perennial All-Star to their squad.

Things did not go as planned in the Bay Area. He could not play until January, and the Dubs limited him to around 25 minutes most nights. Cousins was not the same player after tearing his Achilles, but he put up numbers. The Dubs gave him his first crack at the playoffs, but Cousins was injured in the first round. He returned for the NBA Finals, but was only able to play 20 minutes each night as the Warriors were upset by the Toronto Raptors.

Things went downhill from there. DeMarcus Cousins missed the entire 2019-2020 season with a torn ACL. He returned in 2020 with the Rockets but would play for four different teams over the next two seasons. Boogie has not played since 2022, and his reputation and attitude may have ended his NBA career.