LAS VEGAS — When the NBA free-agent signing period hit last week, DeMarcus Cousins, the most talented center on earth, didn’t get a call. So he made the first move, calling the Warriors.

Friday night, prior to the Warriors’ game in the NBA Summer League, I asked Cousins if he was nervous as he sweated out his basketball fate, waiting for his phone to ring.

“Have you ever been unemployed?” he asked me.

Yes.

“Were you nervous then? All right, that answers the question.”

Of course, when I was unemployed, I wasn’t standing on a balcony of my $6.5 million mansion in Las Vegas, as Cousins was. That led to a scene described in The Undefeated, with Cousins brooding on that balcony in the pre-dawn Las Vegas heat.

At last he decided to have his agent phone the Warriors and ask them if they could use a good center willing to work cheap, about $5.3 million. Cheap for a guy who should be making about six times that.

Friday night a small group of media met with Cousins, his brief media introduction to the Warriors.

Earlier in the day, I dropped by Cousins’ mansion, about 20 minutes away from the strip.

When Cousins left the Kings two years ago, he sold his Sacramento-area mansion, and last October he bought a megamansion in Las Vegas. He paid $6.5 million for the place, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which reported it was the most expensive home purchase of 2017 in the Las Vegas area.

Cousins’ home is in an ultra-exclusive, double-gated community. The gentleman at the guard shack was wearing a pistol (hey, it’s Las Vegas).

To get to Cousins’ castle, one must talk one’s way through two massive ironwork gates. I can’t give details, but it was some of my best work.

His place is nice. The house is 16,000 square feet, 10 bedrooms, and sits on 19 acres.

I walked up to the front door, under the porte cochere (a covered entrance large enough for vehicles to drive under; yes, I had to look it up). A man appeared and politely explained that Cousins wasn’t doing any interviews.

No prob. I just wanted to get a glimpse at the home that might someday be a historical site. It was upon one of these many balconies that Cousins made the momentous decision that sent shock waves through the basketball world.

The Warriors are taking a slight risk. Cousins ruptured his left Achilles tendon 48 games into last season while playing for New Orleans, and had surgery Jan 31.

At the time he was averaging 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists. In a double-overtime game against the Bulls he had 44 points, 24 rebounds and 10 assists. That’s Wilt Chamberlainesque.

Cousins will be 28 next month. This will be his ninth NBA season.

He has said he hoped to be ready by training camp, but Friday he backed off that a bit. He said of his rehab, “It’s coming along great. Basically the healing part is over and it’s just about building strength. ... I was aiming for training camp, but I’ve kind of communicated with the (Warriors) staff and the coaches. It’s kind of up in the air. It will be when I’m 100 percent ready.”

I asked him how he thinks he’ll fit in with the Warriors.

“I’m coming in just playing my part,” he said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help this team win. Of course, I’m in a position where I’m able to play for a championship, and every NBA player’s goal is to win a championship (so) I’m coming in and I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Cousins talked about his growth, saying, “The past few years have been frustrating for me. It’s been tough. With every wound, I believe you get a little tougher. ... I’m not a quitter.”

One big mystery is exactly how Cousins will be used, on offense and defense, and how he will adapt to the Warriors’ style and expectations.

“I’m pretty sure (there) will be many games I may have four (shot) attempts. There may be some games where I’m the leading scorer. I look at that as a positive. I don’t have to be the guy every night. ... I’ve always wanted a team where everything doesn’t rely on me, and now I’m in that position.

“The (Warriors’) potential is scary, that’s obvious. But it’s going to take a lot of hard work and dedication, not only from myself but also from the other guys on the team. That’s something we are aware of, that’s something we accepted already.”

Scott Ostler is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: sostler@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @scottostler