Sacramento Kings Rumors: Coach Karl Shopping DeMarcus Cousins, Lakers Actively Pursuing a Trade

Sacramento Kings coach George Karl reportedly wants to trade their star player, DeMarcus Cousins. The rumors first started swirling when reports surfaced claiming that the Los Angeles Lakers wanted to work out a deal for the 24-year-old big man. Although that story sounded far-fetched at first, assuming that the Kings would want to keep one of the best players in the NBA in Sacramento, now it seems like the Lakers might be the top contenders.

Adrian Wojnarowski with Yahoo! Sports wrote, "Karl's intense desire to trade the All-Star center has made it increasingly unlikely this coach-star partnership can peacefully co-exist next season. [Owner Vivek] Ranadive has remained the biggest Kings advocate for holding onto Cousins, and several sources indicate he has become irritated with Karl's insistence that the coach doesn't believe he can manage the supremely skilled and strong-minded star."

Wojnarowski added that Karl has been actively recruiting other members of the Kings organization, such as the vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac as well as players, to side with him on the Cousins front.

"All around the Kings and Cousins, there is a growing belief the coach-player relationship is irreparable. Trust is a constant theme with Cousins, and he's been unable to build any with Karl, sources said," Wonjnarowski continued.

Even though the Lakers are actively pursuing this trade, they do not have that many desirable assets. The Kings are reportedly looking for veteran players as opposed to young players, which means that the Lakers' no. 2 draft pick might not entice the Kings enough.

The Kings will also reportedly look at all trade scenarios for every player on their roster, including the talented Rudy Gay.

"We have a lot of changes to make," said Divac, said to the Sacramento Bee. "The league is much more up-tempo now and we need more 3-point shooting. If we don't get that in the draft, we'll be active in free agency and see about making trades later in the offseason."

Cousins averaged 24.1 points per game with 12.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. He has three seasons left on the contract extension he signed in 2013.

The Kings have the sixth pick in this year's draft, which starts on Thursday, June 25.