On January 6, Beijing time, Mingji Shams reported that the Bucks plan to lay off center DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Bucks. If the Bucks don't lay off Cousins before January 7, local time, then the contract will become a guarantee contract. In order to maintain the flexibility of the lineup, the Bucks eventually chose to abandon Cousins.
In fact, Cousins did well with the Bucks. In the past 17 games, Cousins has averaged 9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. There is unanimous agreement that Cousins will eventually stay with the Bucks. As a result, the Bucks chose to cut Cousins, once again telling fans with facts: The NBA is really cruel.
Seeing Cousins cut, I can't help but think of The Warriors' Payton II. Payton Jr. has played well with the Warriors, scoring in double figures in the last eight consecutive games. In today's game against the Lone Ranger, Payton Jr. scored 11 points, 11 rebounds on all 5 shots plus 3 assists and 2 steals. Although the team lost, his personal performance was remarkable.
Payton Jr. played well, but his contract with the Warriors was non-guaranteed. This season, Payton Jr.'s contracts total $1.98 million, of which only $350,000 is guaranteed and the rest is all non-guaranteed. January 10 is the contract deadline. If the Warriors hadn't cut Payton Jr. before that day, his contract would have shifted to a fully guaranteed contract. If the Warriors don't keep Payton Jr., he'll be a free agent again and can sign with other teams in the league.
Judging by his personal performance, Payton Jr.'s performance exceeded expectations, and the Warriors should stay. His individual defensive ability is excellent and has helped the Warriors a lot. On the offensive end, Payton Jr.'s shooting has also improved a lot. In the past eight games, Payton Jr. has averaged 13.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game, shooting 60.3% from the field and 41% from three-point range. But before the official announcement, there is no dare to go to pack tickets that Little Payton will stay in the Warriors.