DeMarcus Cousins Joining Puerto Rican Basketball League, per Report

The four-time All-Star is hoping to work his way back to the NBA after going unsigned for the entirety of the 2022–23 season.

With the NBA playoffs set to start this week, DeMarcus Cousins has reportedly found a new team, but not one in the United States. 

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Cousins is signing with the Guaynabo Mets, a franchise in the Puerto Rican Professional Basketball League. The 32-year-old will play with the team this spring with the hope of finding a way back to the NBA in the near future. 

Cousins has been without a team this NBA season after last playing for the Nuggets during the 2021–22 campaign. The Lakers reportedly hosted him for a workout in January but ultimately chose not to sign him.

A four-time All-Star, Cousins boasts 11 years of experience in the NBA and stints with the Kings, Pelicans, Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Bucks and Nuggets. In recent years, however, injuries have limited the big man’s availability and have led him to take on more of a reserve role in his various stops. 

With the Nuggets during the 2021–22 season, Cousins played in 31 games as the primary backup to MVP Nikola Jokić, averaging 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.

Despite the difficulty in finding a spot in the NBA, Cousins hasn’t lost any of his confidence. In a recent interview with Kevin Garnett on the KG CERTIFIED podcast, the former Kentucky star said he was still the third-best center in the NBA, though he neglected to mention who was above him or who he’d put himself ahead of. 

Now bound for Puerto Rico, Cousins will look to back up his latest claim and prove that he’s deserving of a spot on an NBA roster.