Regarding a report last week that indicated the Sacramento Kings were willing to trade rookie Nik Stauskas, at least one NBA insider believes the sharpshooter isn't going anywhere. Ex-Denver Nuggets coach George Karl, meanwhile, reiterated his desire to return to coaching and acknowledged he had spoken to the Kings.
CBS Sports' Ken Berger reported last week Sacramento would trade Stauskas if it landed them a stretch-4 to play alongside star DeMarcus Cousins. Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy, though, doesn't foresee Sacramento moving Stauskas.
Per Kennedy:
"I don't think anything is imminent when it comes to Nik Stauskas. I think this is the kind of situation where the Kings were talking to teams and gauging interest, and then that got overblown and people now think he's definitely getting dealt.
"I do think Sacramento is in win-now mode (as evidenced by some of their moves and the decision to fire Mike Malone) so it wouldn't be a surprise to see them trade a young player for someone who could help them compete now. But I don't think Stauskas is definitely going anywhere or that they would just give him away since he is someone they invested a big pick on very recently."
Even less certain than Stauskas's future in Sacramento is who will be coaching the team next season. Interim coach Tyrone Corbin is expected to finish the year at the helm, and depending on how the team plays under him, could earn the job permanently. Ex-Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson and Karl have also been linked to the job.
Although it's unknown if Jackson has any interest in leaving his broadcasting job with ESPN, Karl made it clear he wanted another crack at coaching an NBA team.
"There's obviously been communication. But have they ever talked to me about being the head coach? We've talked around it, but we've probably never talked about that situation," Karl told USA Today earlier this week. "Do I feel I'm on their list? Yes, but I think they made it very clear when they made the decision to give (interim coach Tyrone) Corbin the opportunity to coach that that was what they were going to do."
Karl's close ties to the Kings front office and his up-tempo offense has him as a top candidate for the job. Read more about what makes Karl and Jackson early favorites for the vacancy HERE.
