#5 – DeMarcus Cousins
Another possible injury concern whose addition would bolster the Wolves’ front court is Demarcus Cousins.
The big man was averaging 25.2 points, 1.6 blocks, 1.6 steals, 5.4 assists and 12.9 rebounds before going down with an injury after 48 appearances in 2017-18. Those numbers are crazy across the board and would certainly boost the Timberwolves starting lineup. Pushing Taj Gibson to the second unit would also do wonders for the Wolves bench, so this has the potential to be a win all the way around.
Similarly to his pairing with Anthony Davis, a Cousins/Towns duo would be an All-Star frontcourt that could serve as the figurehead to the team. With such an explosive front court competitive tandem, paired with an impressive backcourt (depending who stays), the Timberwolves could certainly be among the upper levels of the Western Conference.
One may ask why Cousins would leave Davis and the Pelicans for a pairing almost identical with Towns, but it seems Cousins may be keeping his options open.
https://twitter.com/RTNBA/status/997125434008621059
Cousins again may come a little cheaper than some of the other options on this list, although his market is sure to be quite big this offseason, depending on how his recovery from injury is progressing. This may end up being one of the more realistic big-name targets for the Timberwolves this offseason, although their interest remains to be seen.
Personally, I’ve always been a little put off by Cousins’ overly-aggressive style of play, although to me he seemed to take that down a notch last season. However some aggression and passion may do wonders for the Wolves, who sometimes seem to completely fall flat for no apparent reason (see: all those blown leads the last five seasons).
The Timberwolves certainly have some options to consider this offseason. It wouldn’t be a shock to see them go after a big name, and we’re yet to see which Wolves are considered expendable.
Next: Timberwolves: 5 things they need this offseason
There are some big names available on the market this offseason, but are the Timberwolves interested?