The Sacramento Kings are surely staying in the headlines. On top of all the DeMarcus Cousins drama, rumors suggest the team is now "aggressively pursuing" the top point guard on the free agent market and may be in line to add a new coach.
NBA free agency began at 12:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday and the Kings wasted no time. They've already expressed interest in point guard Rajon Rondo, according to Sam Amick of USA Today Sports, and "came on strong" as they hope to meet with him in person, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
Rondo, who was traded to the Dallas Mavericks last season, did not get along with head coach Rick Carlisle and the two sides "mutually agreed to part ways" in April. The Kings were previously linked to Rondo when he was with the Boston Celtics, but a trade was not executed and the Mavs eventually won the bidding.
Apparently Rondo is close with Kings' power forward Rudy Gay and the veteran has been vocal in trying to get the point guard to come to Sacramento.
But that's not all the Kings are up to.
They could be chasing a new head coach after owner Vivek Ranadive has grown frustrated with George Karl and his desire to trade star player DeMarcus Cousins. Ranadive granted Cousins' agent to explore a trade because the center is believed to want out of Sacramento due to Karl wanting him gone. Now, it's Karl who could be gone less than a year into his return to the NBA.
"The Sacramento Kings are probing University of Kentucky coach John Calipari about his interest in taking over the franchise's front-office and coaching jobs, league sources told Yahoo Sports," Adrian Wojnarowski wrote yesterday.
"Calipari has been communicating with owner Vivek Ranadive and other members of the Kings' ownership group in recent weeks, league sources said. Calipari has listened to scenarios with which the Kings could offer him complete control of the franchise's fledgling basketball operations to go along with coaching, league sources said.
"No formal offer has been made to Calipari, and Kings ownership understands that it will take a multiyear financial package of $10 million-plus annually to get Calipari to seriously consider leaving Kentucky, sources said."
Calipari coached Cousins at the University of Kentucky from 2009-2010 and perhaps Ranadive believes he can keep the big man around if his former coach takes control of the team. However, the Kings will need to find a way to get rid of Karl, who has three years and $10 million left on his contract.
"Sacramento ownership, dismayed over Karl's fractured relationship with Cousins, has had lawyers studying Karl's contract, trying to determine if there's a way to terminate him for 'cause,' Wojnarowski added.
Additionally, it's unknown of Calipari wants to return to the NBA. He's under a seven-year, $54 million deal with Kentucky and turned down an offer with the Cleveland Cavaliers before last season. However, considering he pretty much coaches pro-caliber teams at Kentucky, it's possible the Kings can lure him in if they give him complete control of the team's decision-making as the head coach.
I guess that's so much for Vlade Divac, too.
