Chicago Bulls: 3 potential steals to pursue in free agency

2) Potential steals for Chicago Bulls in free agency: DeMarcus Cousins

It was a long road down from stardom for the former Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors star big man DeMarcus Cousins. “Boogie” Cousins is still just 30 years old, which is hard to believe given how long he’s been out of the NBA for. Following a tragic achilles tear with the Warriors around two years ago, Cousins just hasn’t been the same since.

That’s not too hard to believe either considering how difficult it appears to be to comeback from an injury of that nature. Just look at the fellow former Kentucky Wildcat and Washington Wizards star point guard John Wall, who is still trying to work his way back from an achilles tear that happened more than a full season ago. Something similar could be said for a former Warriors teammate of Cousins and Brooklyn Nets injured superstar forward Kevin Durant.

However, Cousins was once one of the brightest stars in the NBA, especially among the ranks of the top big men. He is a four-time NBA All-Star selection, two-time All-NBA Team selection, and was a member of an All-Rookie First Team. For his career to date in the regular season, Cousins averaged 21.2 points per game, 10.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks.

And Boogie shot 46.1 percent from the field, 33.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 73.7 percent from the free-throw line, in his career in the regular season thus far.

If the Bulls management feels like they could really harness what potential is left from Cousins to contribute possibly in a role off the bench, then he could be signed for a real bargain bin contract in this cycle of free agency. He was last waived by the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2020, after signing a one-year deal worth around $3.5 million last year.