The Houston Rockets are set to sever ties with center DeMarcus Cousins on Tuesday after a mutual decision was made between the team and the player, ESPN sources confirmed.
Veri, whose $ 2.3 million veteran minimum wage was guaranteed by the Rockets last week as a token of gratitude, will explore the interest of other teams.
Four times the 30-year-old All-Star, trying to resurrect his career after a series of serious injuries, averaged 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds, with an ERA on the field of just 37, 6% in 25 Rockets games.
Sources said that Verișorii is dissatisfied with his role as a backup center for Christian Wood and that he wants more playing time. Missile coach Stephen Silas did not consider playing Wood and Cousins together because he only wants to use Wood as a center.
The Rockets lost their last eight games after Wood, the team’s main scorer and rebounder, turned his right ankle. Veri, whose defensive limitations were a problem, averaged 12.1 points and 9.0 rebounds in Wood’s absence before falling out of Monday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls due to a heel injury.
Cousins has gone through 3 different teams in recent seasons, after breaking his Achilles tendon in 2017-18, while he was with the New Orleans Pelicans. Then he signed with the Golden State Warriors, but broke his quadriceps in the 2018-19 season. The cousins later joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2019-20 season, but broke their ACL before they could debut with the team.
The center has averaged 20.8 points and 10.7 rebounds in his career since being selected by the Sacramento Kings as No. 1 pick. 5 in the 2010 draft.
The Athletic portal was the first to report on the imminent release of Cousins.