Kings having serious talks with George Karl

Sam Amick | USA TODAY Sports

The Sacramento Kings are seriously considering making another midseason coaching change and bringing in longtime head coach George Karl, according to three people with knowledge of the situation.

One person who is involved in the process described the situation as "not in the red zone just yet" but said it had recently advanced to the point where a hire could be made in the coming days. As of early Saturday evening, however, a significant gap remained between the two sides when it came to salary and length of contract. If a deal is going to get done, it's likely going to take place on Sunday or perhaps Monday. The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the process.

It has been nearly eight weeks since the Kings made the ill-timed decision to fire coach Michael Malone and promote his lead assistant Tyrone Corbin to the top spot, and matters have only grown worse since. With the Kings having lost 18 of 24 games since making the move, including 10 of their last 11, general manager Pete D'Alessandro – who spent his recent years working with Karl while in the Denver Nuggets' front office – is known to be advocating for his hiring. D'Alessandro, who traveled to Denver in recent days to discuss the job with Karl, is clearly determined to get this deal done.

Karl is clearly the most accomplished coach available on the open market, as he currently ranks sixth all-time among NBA coaches in wins (1,131-756) and has the fourth-best winning percentage (.599) of the eight coaches who have won more than 1,000 games. But questions remain about whether the recent progress on their talks will result in Karl's hiring. Karl's cost is certainly a factor, as the combination of his accomplishments and the recent spike in coaches salaries (the New York Knicks' Derek Fisher and the Golden State Warriors' Steve Kerr signed five-year, $25 million deals as first-year coaches this season) mean he won't come cheap. Lead owner Vivek Ranadive – who has the final say but is one of more than 30 owners within their group – has said consistently that money is no object when it comes to improving the team.

There's the question in some minds, too, of whether the Kings would pay a different kind of price for taking this tact rather than conducting a thorough coaching search during the offseason. As USA TODAY Sports reported recently, the Kings would likely have interest in coaches like Tom Thibodeau (Chicago Bulls) or Scott Brooks (Oklahoma City Thunder) if they parted ways with their respective teams anytime soon. Golden State Warriors associate head coach Alvin Gentry, who interviewed for the Kings lead assistant job last summer, is also known to be on their list.

Karl's personal past with a number of influential members in and around the Kings organization remains relevant as well, as he previously coached Kings advisor Chris Mullin and has history with the two agents who represent franchise centerpiece DeMarcus Cousins as well. Cousins' day-to-day agent, Jarrin Akana, worked with Karl in Denver and was re-assigned from assistant coach to scout when Karl took over for coach Jeff Bzdelik in 2005. Dan Fegan, Cousins' lead agent, represented Karl's son, Coby, as a player for years before he was eventually replaced. That circle, by all accounts, has been against the notion of adding Karl.

To that end, D'Alessandro's ability to change their minds is key here as well. While it appears D'Alessandro is endorsing Karl with or without the support of his team's top player or his representatives, he would prefer to have agreement on that front if Ranadive ultimately approves the hiring. There is some concern within the organization, however, that hiring Karl could create substantive conflict going forward when it comes to Cousins.

Karl has been open about his desire to return to the bench for the first time since being fired by the Nuggets in early June of 2013, telling USA TODAY Sports in mid-January that "My hope and my feeling is that the league will figure it out and give me that (next) opportunity." Since then, of course, the Orlando Magic fired their head coach (Jacque Vaughn) and the Kings were no doubt reminded that Karl may not be available forever. Karl has publicly expressed his interest in the Magic job, but said on ESPN's "NBA Tonight" show on Friday night that he doesn't have any "friends" within the Magic organization and didn't know if they would have interest in him.

Karl could become a candidate for their vacancy, but there are indications that the Magic won't be rushing to hire him as a reaction to his current talks with the Kings. With interim coach James Barrego at the helm, Orlando is expected to consider a number of candidates in the coming days and determine the best path from there. It's clear the Magic would prefer a proven coach, as former head coaches like Scott Skiles, Mark Jackson and Vinny Del Negro are expected to be in the running.