The only way the Sacramento Kings can resolve their problems with DeMarcus Cousins is to trade the enigmatic center to the Denver Nuggets for a reunion with Mike Malone, according to a report.
The Kings have been in constant turmoil all season long partly because of the never-ending drama involving Cousins and head coach George Karl. Cousins was caught on a replay yelling at Karl during the team's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, which earned "Boogie" a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the Kings.
"That wasn't a suspension from the organization; that was one from the head coach," Cousins said, reports the Sacramento Bee.
"I believe everyone believes we should be a lot better than we are and we're just frustrated that we're not. We haven't performed to the level of expectations, so there's a lot of frustration with that."
Cousins is undoubtedly the best thing going for the Kings in terms of putting remarkable performances on a nightly basis, but the All-Star center has not been a force for unity and progression for the franchise, which may cost Sacramento to miss out on top free agents this summer.
NBA analyst David Aldridge and Kelly Iko discussed the possibility of the Kings cutting ties with Cousins in the near future. Iko thinks Malone "would have worked out" for Cousins, but Aldridge argued that while the Kings is serious about moving the 25-year-old this summer, Sacramento be decisive whether they plan to get the most out of him.
"Vlade Divac is going to have to do some hard thinking about what kind of team he can put around Cousins to get the most out of him," Aldridge wrote. "It can be done, but it's not going to be easy, and it's probably not going to involve more than one or two of the guys that are currently on the roster - and certainly not the current coach."
Malone seems to be the only one among Karl, Paul Westphal and Keith Smart to tame the lion in Cousins. Malone coached Cousins from the beginning of the 2013-2014 season until he got fired at Sactown 24 games into the 2014-2015 season.
"When people ask DeMarcus about me, I think the things he respected about me was that I was always honest. If you're dishonest, you're done," Malone said about his relationship with Cousins.
Considering the "deep respect" Cousins and Malone has for each other, the Kings may very well explore the option to trade the former to the Nuggets. One possible scenario that succeeds ESPN's trade machine would be an exchange for Kenneth Faried.