Show us a high-profile NBA free agent, and we'll find you Boston Celtics fans who want Danny Ainge to sign him.
Such is the case with free agent DeMarcus Cousins. The 6-foot-11, 270-pound center has been floated as one of many frontcourt options for the Celtics, and even after they added Enes Kanter on Monday, unsubstantiated reports surfaced of Boston potentially meeting with Cousins in free agency.
Yahoo Sports' Keith Smith put an end to those rumors Tuesday morning, suggesting there's no such meeting planned between the C's and Cousins.
Smith made another important point: After using their mid-level exception to sign Kanter to a two-year, $10 million contract, the Celtics only could offer Cousins the veteran minimum of just over $2.5 million.
Surely the four-time All-Star would seek a richer deal in free agency, right? ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski offered an interesting update on Cousins' market Monday night on "SportsCenter."
"There's not a market for him," Wojnarowski said. "... The ($5.4 million) mid-level exception he got in Golden State last year? I don't think that's there."
Cousins averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds for the Warriors last season but appeared in just 30 games after a lengthy recovery from a torn Achilles and played sparingly in the postseason. He also turns 29 in August, and apparently concerns about his health have hampered his market significantly.
It's possible a team takes a chance on the talented big man anyway. It's also possible he doesn't find a suitor and has to sign a deal close to the veteran minimum.
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The Celtics just added a big man and may wait to see how Robert Williams and Guerschon Yabusele perform in NBA Summer League before addressing their frontcourt further. In the meantime, Cousins likely will explore his options with several other teams.
But if Boogie remains unsigned as the summer drags on, it's not unreasonable to think the Celtics -- who have had interest in the big man in the past -- would at least keep tabs on him.
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