DeMarcus Cousins’ season with the Milwaukee Bucks appears to be over, following ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski report that the franchise plans to fire the big man.

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The Bucks are opting for roster flexibility ahead of the contract guarantee deadline of Friday, Jan.10, with their roster now 14 players. If the Bucks hadn’t given up on Cousins, his contract would have been guaranteed and counted toward the salary cap and luxury tax bill for the remainder of the season.

“We couldn’t have gotten through this difficult stretch of the season as successfully as we did without DeMarcus,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst told ESPN.

“At the end of the day, we made a strategic decision to have an open spot on the roster, but there is nothing stopping us from re-partnering with DeMarcus in the future. It was very good for us, and hopefully we helped him as well.”

Cousins ​​averaged 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds in 17 games (five starts) for the Bucks, and the news broke shortly after he posted a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double against the Toronto Raptors.

The 31-year-old has overcome a string of injuries in the recent season, but he proved to be a reliable option as a backup center for the Bucks, averaging 16.9 minutes per game. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, there is expected to be a lot of interest in the league for Cousins’ services.