DeMarcus Cousins signs deal to play with Taiwan Beer Leopards in latest international stint

DeMarcus Cousins is headed to Taiwan.

The longtime NBA center signed a deal with the Taiwan Beer Leopards on Monday, the team announced in a social media post. Cousins is expected to join the team in mid-January. His deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, is a 10-day, four-game deal. It’s unclear if the contract can expand or if Cousins will continue to play for the team after those four games.

“We’re confident that with [Cousins’] all-around skills, he’ll bring a totally new chemistry to the Leopards,” team CEO Johnny Chang said in a statement, via ESPN.

Cousins most recently played for the Guaynabo Mets in the Puerto Rican Professional Basketball League. He has not played in the NBA since his stint with the Denver Nuggets during the 2021-22 season. Cousins averaged 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 31 games with the team.

The 33-year-old has tried to make it back into the NBA in recent years. He told Yahoo Sports last year that he was “just asking for a chance” to show his growth, and even pitched himself as an option for the Sacramento Kings. He had a workout with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, but did not land a deal with the team.

Cousins, a four-time All-Star, was first selected with the No. 5 overall pick by the Kings in the 2010 draft. He spent six seasons there, and then bounced around between the New Orleans Pelicans, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks and the Nuggets. He dealt with a series of knee injuries and missed all of the 2019-20 campaign while recovering from an ACL injury. In total, Cousins has averaged 19.6 points and 10.2 rebounds throughout his career.

The Beer Leopards have signed former NBA stars in the past, most recently when they grabbed Dwight Howard — who averaged 23.2 points and a league-high 16.2 rebounds per game last season.