Ranking 4 proposed buyout targets for the Golden State Warriors
4. DeMarcus Cousins
This was certainly the most left-field option proposed, with the four-time All-Star having not played in the league since appearing in 48 regular season games for the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets in 2021-22.
The fact Cousins is out of the league at 33-years-old is still a shock to many, such was his dominance as one of the league's best big men before injury struck. Could the Warriors now provide a lifeline over the second half of the season?
The answer is almost assuredly no, even if they did have a look at another veteran center in Dwight Howard prior to the season. Cousins most recently had a short stint in Taiwan, ending it with a 30-point game on January 28.
Somewhere near his best and Cousins would provide an excellent offensive fit, as he showed at times in his lone season with Golden State in 2018-19. But unfortunately he's just not that player anymore, and rightly or wrongly his locker room character has always been a question mark. Here's hoping 'Boogie' can get another opportunity, though it won't be with the Warriors.
3. Robin Lopez
After signing with the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason, Lopez was traded to the Sacramento Kings on deadline day and was subsequently waived. The 35-year-old is now a free agent hoping to extend his 16-year career.
Having once been a 25+ minute per game player for more than half a decade, Lopez hasn't truly been a rotation piece since he averaged 17 minutes with the Orlando Magic in 2021-22. He averaged 8.1 minutes in 37 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, and just four minutes in 16 appearances for the Bucks before the trade.
At 7'1" and over 280 pounds, the 2008 first-round pick does have the big body the Warriors could do with on the interior. Yet now starting Draymond Green at center, the team seems more eager than ever to go away from that direction. Lopez isn't going to beat out Kevon Looney for minutes, and perhaps not even Trayce Jackson-Davis for that matter. Pass.