The Sacramento Kings remain a hot mess. Entering the final two weeks of the regular season, Sacramento boasts a 29-44 record and is clearly out of the Western Conference Playoff race.
This leads most to believe that head coach George Karl will be getting the ax when all is said and done next month.
While that’s still likely going to be the case, especially with the continual issues Karl has had with the team’s front office, there’s a report surfacing that the organization wants Karl to resign his post.
According to radio host Sandy Clough of 104.3 The Fan in Denver, a conversation he had with Karl earlier this season centrally focused on Sacramento attempting to get the veteran coach to resign (via Hoop Ball).
This makes a ton of sense for numerous reasons. The Kings gave Karl $10 million guaranteed when they hired him to replace a fired Michael Malone last February. A total of $6.5 million of that cash is guaranteed following this season. If Karl were fired, he’d collect that sum. If he resigns, he wouldn’t.
This could lead to a relatively big soap opera in California’s capital city once the season draws to a conclusion.
If Sacramento is forced to fire Karl, it could limit the amount of cash the team has to spend on a upper-echelon replacement. Its ability to get someone of worth will also be limited by the team’s lack of success in recent seasons and the drama that has surrounded Karl and All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins.
Knowing Karl the way we do, there’s very little reason to believe that he will actually let the Kings get away with taking back $6.5 million of the cash guaranteed to him following this season.
That could lead to a relatively lengthy stalemate lasting well into the offseason.