Are George Karl and the Kings more on the same page now?

"I want to talk to Cuz," Karl said. "But the situation, because of how it got, I think we've got to be patient to get to that point. ... I trust Vlade. I don't know when it will be or how it will be, but I think [the meeting with Cousins] will happen."

In addition to Rondo, Belinelli and Koufos, Divac also added veteran Caron Butler and re-signed Omri Casspi to a reasonable deal. No one involved -- from Ranadive on down -- has the patience for a rebuild, and the strategy fits with the explosion of cap room that will hit the league next summer. Teams like the Kings and Bucks, who have no chance of landing top-flight free agents like LeBron James or Kevin Durant, decided to move up their spending to this summer and have an established, veteran team moving into the NBA's next big-spending era.

"The decision to rebuild the team with veteran guys, I think, is fantastic," Karl said. "I think putting a culture in Sacramento is what I want. That's what I'm used to in Denver -- intensity and getting better and players loving the game and enjoying the game. And I think we picked up players that are not only talented players, but love the game and want to play the game the right way. So I'm not going to let the atmosphere of doom diminish my excitement. We're going to have a hell of a year.