Despite the uncertainty at their head coaching position, the Sacramento Kings reportedly are still interested in trading for Detroit Pistons forward Josh Smith. The two most likely candidates to replace ex-coach Mike Malone, meanwhile, appear to be Mark Jackson and George Karl.
Sacramento has been linked to Smith since the offseason, and their interest in him hasn't dipped despite the question mark at head coach.
Per Vincent Goodwill Jr. of the Detroit News:
"The Sacramento Kings are still interested in Smith, a source told The Detroit News. The man with final say, Van Gundy, turned down the Kings proposal over the summer - one that amounted to a pu pu platter of talent relative to Smith's, as he wanted a chance to see if he could unlock all of Smith's versatility and turn it into consistency.
"Smith has gotten off to a slow start, although he had his best game of the season in Sacramento on Saturday night, with 21 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks - in front of Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, the man who was behind acquiring Smith from the start."
On the coaching front, Jackson and Karl have emerged as the frontrunners. Jackson, who's friends with Kings consultant Chris Mullin and acquaintances with general manager Pete D'Alessandro, was spotted Tuesday night meeting privately with Mullin, D'Alessandro and Kings star DeMarcus Cousins.
Per USA Today's Sam Amick:
"(Tuesday night), after the Kings fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-92, another possible candidate emerged in the most convenient of ways: former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson. After calling the game courtside for ESPN, Jackson had a lengthy meeting with Mullin, Kings general manager Pete D'Alessandro and franchise centerpiece DeMarcus Cousins inside the 'Chairman's Lounge' where they had requested that arena workers and others give them some privacy. ...
"D'Alessandro joined them approximately 20 minutes into the meeting, and the group finally exited just before midnight, long after the room had been cleared so that they could have a moment to discuss, well, connect the dots yourself."
D'Alessandro dismissed the meeting as being nothing more than friends chatting, although Cousins's presence suggests otherwise.
Karl, meanwhile, has been named by multiple news outlets - including ESPN and Yahoo Sports - as a likely successor to Malone because of his up-tempo offense, which Kings management reportedly wants, and his previous working relationship with D'Alessandro in Denver.
When asked about the vacancy, Karl said he would be interested.
