The Golden State Warriors are the best team in the NBA but they're also beginning to prove that they have the best team off the court too.With little cap space to work with, the back-to-back champions shocked the NBA world after they pulled off a remarkable free agent signing on Monday night.In a major coup, the Dubs agreed a one-year, $5.3 million deal to sign All-Star DeMarcus Cousins.
Elite front office
It represents another win over the rest of the league for general manager Bob Myers and the entire front office in the Bay Area.
The Warriors become just the sixth team in NBA history to have five All-Stars and the first since the 1975-76 Boston Celtics, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Cousins told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears, that he had no offers from other teams and had little option but to accept the deal presented to him by Golden State.
The center is recovering from a torn Achilles injury and was never likely to receive the long-term max deal that he was hoping to.
The 27-year-old is not expected to return to the court until Christmas at the earliest but he's hugely optimistic that he can beat that timeframe.
"I'm still shooting for training camp," Cousins told Spears. "It's not BS. It wasn't a comment just to sound good in free agency."
In May, the four-time All-Star said his "personal goal" was to start the regular season and he's even more determined to fulfil that after joining a championship-calibre team.
It's a slightly ambitious aim for Boogie as it typically takes players much longer to recover from this type of injury.
Under no pressure
Even though he's hoping to make a comeback sooner than expected, the Warriors are likely to take a cautious approach with him and not allow him to rush back.
Clearly not short on talent, the Oakland-based outfit can be patient with the former Sacramento Kings star and he'll be under no pressure to perform immediately when he does eventually take to the court.
The All-NBA big man will ultimately look to prove his health and position himself as a free agent again next summer with a view to getting the max deal that he craves.
In the meantime, the huge financial sacrifice he's decided to take to join Golden State will be worth it as he'll compete in the playoffs for the first time and have a wonderful opportunity to win his first ring.
CLICK HERE to listen to Episode Two of the new GiveMeSport NBA podcast, featuring New York Times senior writer Marc Stein. Subscribe for all future episodes.