DeMarcus Cousins (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The Sacramento Kings could now be willing to deal DeMarcus Cousins in the offseason after another season full of drama.
The Kings could finally be ready to trade Cousins as the team makes a search for their next head coach after firing George Karl. According to the Sacramento Bee writer Ailene Voisin, Kings general manager Vlade Divac may not be planning to cater to Cousin's decision when the team starts to pick the next head coach, along with the intentions of to "test the market" for the All-Star center.
"A year ago, Cousins was untouchable. A year later, the sense within the organization is Divac is tempted by the prospect of pairing his center with his personally selected coach but that he has increasingly become frustrated by his center's ongoing issues and, for the first time, is willing to test the market for the two-time All-Star," Voisin wrote.
Cousins has been linked to trade rumors prior to the Feb. 18 deadline, but the Kings were able to keep hold of the disgruntled big man.
Certainly there would be plenty of takers for Cousins if the basis would be his production. This season, he averaged 26.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, all of which are above his career averages. There is no denying his skills and talent, which could be enough to turn the right team into a title contender.
However, there are concerns whether Cousins would fit well in another team with a different coach, considering his fractured relationship with most of the Kings' ex-coaches in Boogie's stay in Sacramento. During Cousins' five-year stint with the Kings, the team has already fired five coaches. While it may have no direct relations to Cousins' attitude, most of it point to that case.
According to ESPN, the Kings are set to interview Mark Jackson, Vinny Del Negro and Sam Mitchell as the team's pool of candidates for the vacant coaching job. While it remains to be seen whether either of the three could bring out the best in Cousins, another experiment could lead up to the same coach-player drama, which the team simply cannot endure, as noted by John Buhler of Sports Illustrated's Fansided.
There has only been one coach that gelled well with Cousins, and that is Mike Malone, who now coaches the Denver Nuggets.
Malone coached Cousins for two seasons, which was enough for the two to earn the respect of each other. Malone seems to know exactly how to coach Cousins, which the former Kings coach revealed last year in an interview with Grantland's Zach Lowe.
Cousins' good relationship with Malone could be enough reason for the Nuggets to be the perfect landing spot for the 25-year-old big man if the Kings really intend to trade him.
ESPN's trade machine approved a scenario of the Kings sending Cousins to the Nuggets for Kenneth Faried and Jusuf Nurkic, who Sacramento would probably want if there are interest from both teams.
Kings fans may be anticipating the team's new head coach, but the more interesting thing to wait for is whether Cousins would go along with whoever the organization hire. If déjà vu happens, expect Cousins to be out of Sactown either this offseason or prior to next year's trade deadline.
