The Houston Rockets have interest in trading for Kosta Koufos of the Sacramento Kings.

The Rockets would like to add a big man with Clint Capela out for several weeks due to injury.

Houston also decided against adding Donatas Motiejunas after his prolonged restricted free agency.

Koufos has a player option in which he can become a free agent in 2018.

Passages from George Karl's book about the Sacramento Kings have been removed from the final version of his book.

Karl's book, co-authored by Curt Sampson, included some unflattering views in a proof copy about DeMarcus Cousins, general manager Vlade Divac and owner Vivek Ranadive. But sources say Karl's views were stricken from the version scheduled for public distribution next month.

Refraining from critical commentary of the Kings was part of Karl's settlement agreement upon leaving the club. When Karl was dismissed last April, both he and Divac issued complimentary statements about the 65-year-old's time there.

In the epilogue of the book's proof copy, Karl shared candid views on Cousins and detailed his near-firing by the Kings in February 2016.

DeMarcus Cousins has received a substantial fine from the Sacramento Kings for his confrontation with a reporter from the Sacramento Bee.

The fine amount was undisclosed and there was no game suspension from the Kings.

"The Kings have a clear set of standards of conduct expected of our entire organization. As a result of negative interactions with certain members of the media that were not corrected after verbal warnings, we have decided to impose a substantial fine," the team said in a statement to ESPN. "If this behavior is repeated again we will be forced to consider further discipline."

The column referenced the arrest of Cousins' brother.

Dave Joerger would like a truce to be brokered between DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Bee.

Cousins confronted a columnist from the Bee that referenced the arrest of his brother.

"This guy is the face of our franchise," Joerger said on Sunday. "He's done and said some things that he wishes he could do over. He has improved."

He continued: "I'm not justifying anything that he's done. What he did was excessive. But enough is enough."

The Kings are still reviewing the incident in question where Cousins confronted columnist Andy Furillo over an article that was published last weekend. 

According to The Bee, Monday was the first time Cousins and Furillo saw each other after the column was published.

"We're going to have some real f---ing issues," Cousins said to Furillo. "Don't ever mention my brother again."

Mike Krzyzewski said on John Calipari's new podcast, Cal Cast, that DeMarcus Cousins "gets a bad rap sometimes."

Krzyzewski coached Cousins on the 2014 and 2016 United States' teams.

"For him to come back and still want it, it said a lot about how much he wanted to do it," Krzyzewski told Calipari. "He came through for us big time. He's tough as hell. He is so damn talented. I don't think he has a position. You can't call him a 5 or a 4. Just call him a great player."

Cousins most recently was involved with an off the court incident at a New York nightclub with Matt Barnes and also confronted a Sacramento columnist.

DeMarcus Cousins confronted a Sacramento Bee columnist following Monday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers and it is being reviewed by the Sacramento Kings.

Cousins confronted The Sacramento Bee's Andy Furillo over a column that was published last weekend. The column addressed an incident at a New York nightclub earlier this month that resulted in Cousins and teammate Matt Barnes being sued over an alleged assault. It also referenced an incident at a bar in May involving Cousins and his younger brother, Jaleel, that led to his brother's arrest.

"We're going to have some real f---ing issues," Cousins said to Furillo. "Don't ever mention my brother again."

A Kings' teammate stepped between Cousins and Furillo. 

In a statement released Thursday, the Kings said they were reviewing the incident.

"We are committed to being open and transparent, and any hint of media censorship is unacceptable," the team said in a statement. "There is an ongoing review into this matter, and we will take the appropriate steps immediately upon its conclusion."

In a video montage of other incidents published by The Bee, Cousins also called out Furillo during a locker room confrontation in October 2015.

Furillo can be heard interjecting with a question as Cousins answered another reporter's question, before Cousins replied with a scowl.

"I'm still talking," said Cousins, before ending the session by calling Furillo a "f---ing clown."

An important new aspect of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement will be the ability for teams to sign their own players to extensions.

Teams will be able to choose up to two Designated Veterans to sign to a long-term extension.

The ability for teams to sign their own players to extensions was compromised as part of the collective bargaining agreement that was put in place in 2011.

The initial beneficiaries of the new provision will likely be the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings who will be able to extend Paul George and DeMarcus Cousins, respectively, in the 2017 offseason. Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder could also agree upon a new extension.

Criteria for those designated players will be based on achievements, including appearances on All-NBA teams and Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year award winners.

Zach Lowe reports that Year 1 of the extension can be any amount up to 35 percent of cap even if the team has no cap room.

Rudy Gay can become a free agent this offseason and has openly suggested he isn't interested in re-signing with the Sacramento Kings.

"The one player who is going to have to move between now and the trade deadline is Rudy Gay," said Wojnarowski. "I don't think the Kings can make the same mistake New Orleans made last year with Ryan Anderson. Ryan Anderson was pretty clear he was not going to re-sign there and they lost him for nothing. Especially for a team so devoid of assets, they couldn't let him walk for nothing.

"Oklahoma City got down to the wire before Cameron Payne's injury (trading for Gay).

There are several teams with interest in trading for Gay.

"There's no question Oklahoma City. Indiana has had interest in him. Houston has had some peripheral interest. I don't think they have the pieces to trade."

The Sacramento Kings have recalled rookies Malachi Richardson and Skal Labissiere from the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League.

Richardson is averaging 21.0 points (.426 FG%, .440 3pt%, .763 FT%), 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 35.0 minutes per contest in 11 games (10 starts) for Reno, including a season-high 32 points (12-22 FG, 3-5 3pt, 5-7 FT), four rebounds and two assists against the Rio Grande Vipers on Sunday night. Ranked 12th in D-League scoring, the former Orangeman has led the Bighorns in scoring on six occasions, highlighted by a game-winning fade-away jumper as time expired to give Reno a 110-108 victory over the Texas Legends on Nov. 22. The 28th overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft,

Labissiere has accrued averages of 14.3 points (.445 FG%, .694 FT%), 6.8 rebounds and 1.54 blocks in 29.3 minutes per game in 11 starts for the Bighorns, leading the club in rebounding twice and blocks in three contests. He logged his first double-double with a season-high 25 points (9-20 FG, 7-13 FT), a team-best 10 rebounds, one assist, four steals and three blocks in 36 minutes versus the L.A. Defenders on Dec. 8.

The New York Police Department plan on arresting and charging Matt Barnes with misdemeanor assault stemming from a nightclub incident.

"They've got enough to charge Barnes with an assault on a woman," a police source said. "It will probably be a misdemeanor assault on one of the females who was pushed or choked or sustained some sort of injury. She's obviously cooperating."

DeMarcus Cousins was also present at the time and is not likely to be charged.

Barnes had already left the scene when NYPD arrived to investigate.

Barnes and Cousins have also been served in a lawsuit from the incident.