Are the Sacramento Kings the most dysfunctional team in NBA history?
I’m not prepared to say no.
DeMarcus Cousins and head coach George Karl haven’t been besties since the latter’s arrival. Tensions reached a new high after Cousins received a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team, a punishment that, according to Cousins, was handed down by Karl himself. Karl, per Sam Amick of USA Today, is expected to be canned after this season, at which point Cousins trade rumors will gain more traction than ever, beginning what, per Amick, will be a long, arduous process that probably won’t reach resolution until sometime in 2017:
Despite the ups and downs in the DeMarcus Cousins-Kings relationship, and even considering the pressure to win now that comes with the scheduled opening of a new arena in October, an internal hope remains that this partnership can be fixed with yet another coaching change this summer (for the record, it would be Cousins’ sixth in seven seasons). Those phone calls for Cousins will most certainly come, from teams like the Lakers, New York Knicks, Magic, Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets. Cousins’ contract adds even more incentive for teams in pursuit. His current paygrade ($16.9 million next season, $18 million in 2017-18) is affordable by today’s standard for NBA stars.
Yet with Karl still expected to be replaced after the season, there is a belief within the organization and around the league that Cousins won’t be truly available unless the situation doesn’t significantly improve leading up to the Feb. 2017 trade deadline. He’ll have a long line of suitors then, too. After all, this is a talent-driven league and Cousins – headaches be damned – is a supremely talented player.
Overall, it appears like the Kings haven’t given up Cousins. And how could they? For all the baggage he carries, he’s their lone constant, the only superstar for a team that hasn’t made a playoff push since 2006. He is on a cost-controlled contract that won’t allow him to explore free agency until 2018 and, therefore, holds virtually no leverage in his own push to leave.
The rumor mill will still reach information overload this summer, especially with Willie Cauley-Stein the roster. But the Kings have invested a lot in trying to be relevant now. They have thus far failed, but that doesn’t mean they’ve completely moved off a win-now stance. Expect them to be equally aggressive in trying to improve the roster this summer, before, as Amick noted, revisiting the Cousins situation ahead of next year’s trade deadline.
