Current Contract and Team Status
Boogie Cousins is currently on a one-year, $3.6 million veteran minimum contract with the Denver Nuggets for the 2025-26 NBA season, following a brief, injury-plagued stint with the Sacramento Kings where he was waived in early 2024. The deal represents a significant pay cut from his previous five-year, $187 million maximum contract with the Kings, which was signed in 2022 and contained $69 million in guaranteed money for the 2024-25 season before his release. He joined the Nuggets in September 2024 as a veteran presence for their championship push, with the contract fully guaranteed at the veteran minimum level.
The Kings' decision to buy out Cousins' $18.5 million guaranteed salary for the 2023-24 season, after he suffered a torn ACL in January 2023, cost the team approximately $13.5 million in dead cap space and luxury tax payments. His subsequent one-year deal with the Nuggets at the veteran minimum is structured to provide Denver with full salary cap flexibility, as the contract counts only $3.6 million against the salary cap and is fully guaranteed for the season.
Career Earnings and Contract History
Cousins has earned over $120 million in guaranteed NBA salary across his career, with his largest contract being the four-year, $127 million extension with the New Orleans Pelicans signed in 2017, which contained $64 million in guarantees. His career earnings trajectory shows a peak average annual salary of $35.5 million during the 2022-23 season with the Kings, compared to the current $3.6 million on his Denver deal, reflecting the dramatic shift in his market value following his 2023 knee injury.
The Pelicans traded Cousins to the Kings in February 2022 as part of a package that included Harrison Barnes, Jarred Vanderbilt, and draft picks, with the trade occurring while he was in the second year of his rookie max contract extension worth $26.1 million for that season. His subsequent Kings contract, signed in August 2022, was a five-year, $187 million maximum deal with $69 million fully guaranteed through the 2023-24 season, making him one of the highest-paid players in the league before his injury derailed his tenure.
Contract Structure and Financial Details
The Denver Nuggets' current deal with Cousins is a standard veteran minimum contract for the 2024-25 season, fully guaranteed at $3.6 million, with no team options or player options included. The contract counts $3.6 million against the Nuggets' salary cap and $3.6 million against the luxury tax apron, with no additional incentives or escalators built into the agreement.
Cousins' previous contract with the Kings included a $5 million player option for the 2023-24 season that he declined, which would have paid him $18.5 million for the year before the buyout. The buyout agreement between the Kings and Cousins in February 2024 resulted in the player forfeiting approximately $13.5 million in guaranteed money, with the Kings retaining the salary cap hit and luxury tax implications for the remainder of the contract.
Historical Context and Market Position
At the time of his signing with the Kings in 2022, Cousins was coming off a career year with the Pelicans where he averaged 23.6 points and 12.9 rebounds per game, earning a spot on the All-NBA Second Team and justifying the maximum contract offer. His subsequent injury and performance decline led to