Warriors add DeMarcus Cousins; jaws drop as NBA’s best team gets better

The NBA-champion Golden State Warriors don’t appreciate anyone stealing their spotlight.

A day after LeBron James shook the league ^[1]by agreeing to a five-year, $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Warriors on Monday night agreed to a one-year, $5.3 million contract with DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins, arguably the best all-around center in the league.

That will give the Warriors, who have won championships in three out of the past four years, All-Stars at every position, as Cousins will join Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. In fact, some would argue that the Warriors’ starting five is better than a potential Eastern Conference All-Star team.

That lineup won’t be seen for a while though, as Cousins is still rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in January. He’s not expected to return to the court until December at the earliest, and possibly as late as next February. That will still be in plenty of time for the playoffs.

Read: Even a pre-season ticket to see LeBron in L.A. commands a 400% premium over last year^[3]

Before his injury, Cousins, 27, averaged 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds a game for the New Orleans Pelicans. He’s averaged 21.5 points and 11 rebounds a game over his eight-year career, and is a four-time All Star.

The signing immediately established the Warriors — as if they weren’t already — as the odds-on favorite to win another NBA title next season. The move took the NBA and its fans by surprise, and Twitter predictably blew up once it was announced: