Vlade Divac stepping down as Kings general manager

LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 08: Vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Sacramento Kings Vlade Divac watches warmups before the team's preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers at T-Mobile Arena on October 8, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Los Angeles won 75-69. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

The Sacramento Kings undergoing front office shakeup after another disappointing season

After arriving in the Walt Disney World bubble this month, the Sacramento Kings are once again entering the offseason, as they failed to clinch an NBA playoff berth for the 14th-consecutive season. The Kings will now enter the usual offseason where they try to build a playoff-worthy team, but they’ll do so without a key front office figure.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Vlade Divac is stepping down as Sacramento’s executive vice president of basketball operations and general manager. Kings advisor Joe Dumars will now assume general manager duties as the team’s interim VP of basketball operations. Additionally, Amick says that head coach Luke Walton’s job is safe.

This news comes 24 hours after Amick reported that the Kings were not expected to part ways with Divac.

Kings GM Vlade Divac is stepping down, source tells @TheAthleticNBA. Joe Dumars (advisor previously) will be interim executive VP of basketball ops and immediately assumes GM duties. Dumars will be involved in the search for a new GM.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) August 14, 2020

Divac hasn’t built a winner during his tenure

The Kings opted to bring in Divac, whom played for the team from 1998-2004, to be their VP of basketball operations back in 2015. He quickly added the role of general manager to his resume that August after the team fired Pete D’Alessandro.

With Divac running the team, the Kings have accumulated a 162-246 record. Their best run came last season, where the team finished with a 39-43 record and just missed out on a playoff berth. Shockingly, Divac chose to part ways with head coach Dave Joerger at the conclusion of that season and opted to hire Walton, despite his disastrous tenure as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Source also tells @TheAthleticNBA that Kings coach Luke Walton is safe. While the two were on the same contractual timeline (through 2022-23), and Vlade hand-picked Luke, there won't be another domino falling here.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) August 14, 2020

Divac’s draft history was concerning throughout his time running the Kings front office. Divac used first round selections on Willie Cauley-Stein (2015) and Zach Collins (2017), both of whom are no longer with the Kings. Perhaps his most famous blunder came when he selected Marvin Bagley III in 2018 with the second pick, passing over Luka Doncic and Trae Young. While Bagley’s a good player, he’s shown to be injury-prone. As for Doncic and Young, they’re both superstars in the NBA.

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With Divac now gone, Dumars and the Kings will conduct a search for a new general manger who can hopefully lead the franchise back to its former heights.

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