The Sacremento Bee is reporting that the Kings are looking to make George Karl their next head coach.
While a change is not imminent, multiple sources told The Bee late Friday that the combination of Karl’s innovative coaching and immediate availability has won over team officials who weeks ago expressed concern about a possible personality clash with All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins.
The overriding factor at this point appears to be financial: Karl would command an annual salary upwards of $4 million, a major potential sticking point given that the Kings will continue to pay Malone through the 2015-16 season. Additionally, teams with more attractive rosters are expected to have coaching vacancies at the end of the year, and Karl, who maintains a high profile partly owing to his ESPN appearances, is thought to be heavily pursued.
Karl would be a good offensive fit for the Kings but he hasn’t been known as the greatest defensive coach. We’ll see if he is the guy to finally get the most out of this talented Kings team.