DeMarcus Cousins out with sore foot Tuesday and likely Wednesday

That's not a tank, this is a tank.

At least that's what the Sacramento Kings were probably thinking when ruling out DeMarcus Cousins for Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Kings coach George Karl doesn't expect Cousins to play on Wednesday against the Utah Jazz, either, due to a sore right foot.

The Wolves have so many injuries they've had to use a hardship exception to sign a 16th player to their roster.

Cousins sitting out isn't at all surprising, as he sat out for rest last Monday and the team has considered shutting him down for the year. He responded with back-to-back triple-doubles after the respite. Since the Kings would probably prefer a loss on Tuesday with the draft lottery in mind, getting Cousins some more rest for the long and arduous offseason is a prudent call.

Jest aside, the Kings are in the clear for keeping their first-round pick, which they would have conveyed if it landed outside the top 10. The Kings are in sixth-last and would need to jump two standings positions - and three-and-a-half games - to have even a remote chance at losing the pick. 

Still, they're only a game-and-a-half from jumping a position in the standings, which would drop their chances of landing a top-three pick from 21.5 percent to 15 percent.

The Timberwolves, meanwhile, have an outside chance at catching the New York Knicks for 30th in the league and the best odds at the No. 1 pick.