Sam Amick

USA TODAY Sports

The Sacramento Kings are done.

Not technically speaking, of course. They have 16 games left and a gap between themselves and a once-attainable playoff spot that is currently 7½-games wide. But for all intents and purposes, their 2015-16 campaign is over, and their streak of postseason absences is about to extend to 10. Only the Minnesota Timberwolves (about to be 12) have a longer drought.

And that, combined with the possible ripple effect of recent events, leads to this question: Is it finally time to trade DeMarcus Cousins?

No one objectively disputes that Cousins has become the most dominant big man in the NBA, but he’s also a 25-year-old whose team has gone a combined 157-303 (.341 winning percentage) in his six professional seasons. As it stands, Cousins is well on his way toward joining the top 10 list of longest-tenured players who have never made the playoffs (with 406 regular games played, he’s nearing the No. 10 player on that list, Geoff Huston at 496; he remains well behind No. 1, Tom Van Arsdale at 929). The Kings, 26-40, have yet to win 30-plus games in a season during the Cousins era.

Couple that with the continued volatility that was a problem again last week, when Cousins’ berating of coach George Karl in a game against Cleveland led to a one-game suspension, and it’s more than fair to wonder if it might not be time to part ways – depending on what they can get in return. And there is the problem for the Kings, who will have their ears open to offers this summer but who will likely struggle to get anything close to fair value for the two-time All-Star.

Carmelo Anthony shoots down Phil Jackson coaching rumors

When Cousins trade talks between the Kings and Los Angeles Lakers last June failed, when Cousins’ agent, Dan Fegan, was orchestrating a way out for his client amid frustration over Karl, some rival executives who read about the Kings’ demands and saw them as exorbitant took notice. If the Kings wanted the No. 2 pick, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson and draft considerations for Cousins, some of them thought, then why even bother engaging in discussions? There were others who saw it differently, who understood the Kings’ desires to improve immediately and thus realized that draft picks and unproven prospects wouldn’t get this deal done.

The Orlando Magic, to cite one possible landing spot, have proven players like center Nikola Vucevic and upside-rich young guys like Elfrid Payton and Mario Hezonja to eventually get the Kings’ attention. Conversely, teams like the Boston Celtics that have a cabinet full of draft picks but may not be willing to give up core players might not match the Kings’ asking price. These things have a way of evolving over time, but there is a sense in front office circles that a Cousins deal won’t go down until the Kings – with lead owner Vivek Ranadive always playing too large of a part and vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac trying to steer a Swiss-cheese ship – seriously soften their asking price.

Yet here’s the thing: That’s not likely to happen anytime soon.

Power rankings: Pistons, Nuggets surging

Despite the ups and downs in the Cousins-Kings relationship, and even considering the pressure to win now that comes with the scheduled opening of a new arena in October, an internal hope remains that this partnership can be fixed with yet another coaching change this summer (for the record, it would be Cousins’ sixth in seven seasons). Those phone calls for Cousins will most certainly come, from teams like the Lakers, New York Knicks, Magic, Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets. Cousins’ contract adds even more incentive for teams in pursuit. His current paygrade ($16.9 million next season, $18 million in 2017-18) is affordable by today’s standard for NBA stars.

Yet with Karl still expected to be replaced after the season, there is a belief within the organization and around the league that Cousins won’t be truly available unless the situation doesn’t significantly improve leading up to the Feb. 2017 trade deadline. He’ll have a long line of suitors then, too. After all, this is a talent-driven league and Cousins – headaches be damned – is a supremely talented player.

The irony of the Kings’ dysfunction is that it might ultimately help their cause, if only because it gives other teams hope that Cousins might be less caustic in a healthier environment. It’s an indictment of their culture, but one that continues to provide cover for Cousins every time that red flag waves.

Put him with the San Antonio Spurs or the Miami Heat, the hypothetical goes, and the energy vampire act might disappear. And almost every organization in the NBA has good reason to believe their operation is more positive and productive than the Kings. The Karl component has taken this to an all-new level of awful, if only because the writing has been on the wall about his situation for so long.

The wildly talented Cousins is a lot of things, but he’s no dummy. He sees the justifiable criticism of Ranadive, whose refusal to stand by the only NBA coach who truly connected with Cousins, Michael Malone, in Dec. 2014 was one of the many plot twists that helped cause this mess. He sees the in-fighting on the coaching staff, with assistant coach Nancy Lieberman identified as a Ranadive confidante and thus unofficially exiled by Karl months ago.

The time may come when Cousins is seeing this Sacramento situation from a distance. For now, however, it’s yet another disappointing finish with a shred of hope that maybe, just maybe, the Cousins era in Sacramento can still be salvaged.