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Warriors 2018 Offseason Review

Recapping a busy offseason for the reigning back-to-back NBA Champions.

In the immediate aftermath of Golden State's second consecutive NBA Championship, Warriors Owner Joe Lacob already had his sights set on what lied ahead:

"Okay, maybe we'll rest for 20 minutes," he semi-quipped upon emerging from the locker room celebration.

The root of Lacob's urgency was twofold. First and foremost, a desire to maintain the lofty heights the team has achieved three times in the last four seasons.

"I tell Bob [Myers] every day, our job is not to let it end," Lacob told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic.

But second – and more immediate – he, Myers and the rest of Golden State's decision makers had a lot of work to do. Seven of the 15 players on the Dubs' 2018 title team were set to become free agents at the end of the month.

Fast-forward six weeks, and the vast majority of that work has been completed. For the most part, the Warriors' cupboards have been restocked, filled with some familiar fan favorites, as well as some new treats certain to whet the appetites of Dub Nation.

Back for at least another season are Kevin Durant and Kevon Looney, two critical pieces in Golden State's most recent title run. Durant, of course, was named the Finals Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row, while Looney started at center in the final four games of the seven-game series victory over Houston, as well as Game 1 of the Finals.

Amazingly, despite it being his third year in the league, Looney was the youngest player on Golden State's roster last season. That, however, is no longer the case. Looney lost that designation when the Warriors selected Jacob Evans out of the University of Cincinnati with the 28th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. As a junior, Evans shot 37.0 percent from three-point range, and was one of only two players in the American Athletic Conference that averaged at least one block and one steal per game. He recently participated as a member of the Warriors' Summer League team, and figures to provide depth at the wing positions in his rookie campaign.

While Golden State retained some of their own free agents, they signed a couple notable ones, as well. This, of course, brings us to today's big announcement.

Later today, the Warriors will introduce DeMarcus Cousins as one of the newest members of the franchise, in what will undoubtedly be another ‘pinch me' moment for lifelong fans of the organization. For years, Cousins presented a formidable matchup problem for the Warriors as a dynamic and powerful big man for both the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans. Now, that humongous shoe is on the other foot.

Last season, Cousins became one of eight players in NBA history to average at least 25.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, joining a group of Russell Westbrook, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and Elgin Baylor. Throughout Steve Kerr's four years as Head Coach, he's never had a player average at least 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game for a season; Cousins has achieved those marks in each of the last seven seasons.

In joining Golden State, Cousins – a four-time All-Star – gives the Warriors three of the top six scorers in the NBA over the last three seasons, alongside Durant and Stephen Curry. In forming that trio, the Warriors become the first team in NBA history to have three players that averaged at least 25.0 points per game the year before. Additionally, the inclusion of Cousins means the 2018-19 Warriors will be the sixth team in NBA history – and first since the 1975-76 Celtics – to have five All-Stars from the previous season.

It's just going to be a little while until that All-Star quintet gets on the court together. Cousins suffered a left Achilles rupture in January, and while he's currently progressing through his rehab process, when he might return to the court is still very much unknown.

That said, if Cousins wants some advice on dealing with the ups and downs of the long road back from an Achilles injury, he won't have to look further than his new locker room. Golden State's other main free agent addition came in the form of forward Jonas Jerebko, a nine-year NBA veteran who averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 41.4 percent shooting from three-point range in 15.3 minutes per game for the Jazz last season. A member of the same draft class as Curry, Jerebko was named to the 2009-10 Second Team All-Rookie team with the Pistons before tearing his Achilles, forcing him to sit out the entire next season. Jerebko has played in at least 74 regular season games in each of the last four seasons – participating in the playoffs in each of those years – and should provide Golden State with some quality rebounding and three-point shooting off the bench.

The Warriors reaped the benefits of the new Two-Way Rule last year when Quinn Cook worked his way into the backcourt rotation, a success the Dubs hope to recreate with Damion Lee this coming season. Lee, who happens to be Curry's future brother-in-law, appeared in 15 games (11 starts) with the Atlanta Hawks last season after earning a GATORADE Call-Up on March 13, recording averages of 10.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.36 steals in 26.9 minutes. In 38 games (13 starts) last season with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Lee averaged 15.8 points on 45.6 percent shooting to go along with 5.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.40 steals in 29.7 minutes. Lee signed a two-way contract, meaning he can accrue no more than 45 days of service with Golden State during the regular season, spending the remainder of the season with Santa Cruz.

Durant, Looney, Cousins, Jerebko and Lee join Cook, Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Jordan Bell and Damian Jones in forming the Warriors' roster for the upcoming season. There's still the potential to add at least one more player to the group in the coming weeks, a task Lacob, Myers & Co. are undoubtedly working on at the moment. After all, when your season ends in June, there's no time to rest on your laurels.

Well, heck, maybe 20 minutes.