Through all the suffering and sadness in Sacramento Kings nation this week is one thing that hasn’t been completely addressed: What if the DeMarcus Cousins trade actually works out for the franchise?

Yes, that’s possible. And here’s an ideal blueprint for the scenario:

1. Cousins’s temper gets the best of him in New Orleans

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The Kings appeared to make it pretty clear that Cousins’ behavior on and off the court was a problem, regardless of all that talent. Let’s say he comes to the Pelicans and continues to rack up technicals while also struggling to star along with Anthony Davis in the same frontcourt. Perhaps the constant questions from the media about those struggles get to him. A year later, he’s a free agent, New Orleans washes its hands of him and he’s gone.

That makes Sacramento look pretty smart in dealing him when they did (even if they got better offers before agreeing to a trade with New Orleans). The Kings can claim they knew that would happen and got a first-round talent out of the deal. Speaking of which …

2. Buddy Hield blows up

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Alright, maybe he’s not Steph Curry 2.0. But can we all go back to the 2016 NCAA Tournament and remember when he had the best March Madness run since Steph Curry?

Maybe we’re all misjudging him based on just 57 games in the NBA. At his very best, with some talent around him, Hield might turn out to be a pretty good player. Not a superstar, but enough of a scorer to give the Kings a good return on their trade.

3. Tanking in the 2016-17 season somehow pays future dividends

The Kings’ 2017 first-round pick has two conditions attached to it. From USA TODAY Sports:

“The trade may hinge on the results of the two picks this year, but given that the Pelicans will be in contention for the playoffs, there’s no guarantee that the Kings will even get a lottery pick out of the deal. The silver lining is that because the Kings are expected to fall in the standings, it seems extremely likely they’ll be able to keep their own pick, which would’ve gone to the Chicago Bulls if it was outside the top 10. What’s more, the Philadelphia 76ers have the right to swap picks with the Kings if Sacramento’s pick is higher.”

If the Kings go full tank and end the season with one of the NBA’s worst records, they’ll have a really solid pick in a rich draft. And they’ve got just three more wins than the Sixers at the moment, so maybe by some miracle they end up with nearly the same record by season’s end. All the franchise has to do is pray for some ping-pong balls to fall its way.

Also, if our first scenario comes true and the Pelicans fail to make it to the postseason, that’s a second lottery pick for the Kings.

4. The Kings discover some diamonds in the rough by the end of this season

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One of the better things to happen to teams when they completely gut the roster is discovering talent you might not have previously found. So: Maybe Willie Cauley-Stein takes a step forward with Cousins gone. Perhaps Georgios Papagiannis, Malachi Richardson and Skal Labissiere prove why they were first-rounders in 2016. You just never know.

5. The Kings “trust the process”

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See what’s happening in Philadelphia? That’s all the Kings have to do: Stay away from locking up non-stars to big, bloated deals, draft wisely, pile up as many picks as possible and rebuild sloowwwlllllyyyyy. If they discover another Joel Embiid in the not-too-distant future, all of this pain the franchise has gone through — and the trade that started a full rebuild — will have been worth it.

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