- Joe Dumars, now the interim GM with the Kings, has a lot on his plate this offseason, as Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee details. Along with the draft, Dumars will try to work out a contract extension with point guard De’Aaron Fox. Bogdan Bogdanovic is headed to restricted free agency, while Kent Bazemore, Harry Giles, and Alex Len will be unrestricted. Dumars could also explore trades involving Buddy Hield, whose large extension kicks in next season after a very disappointing 2019/20 season.
The Kings appear likely to hire an executive search firm to help them find a new permanent general manager following Vlade Divac‘s departure, league sources tell Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. However, according to Anderson, several names have already been connected to the position as possible targets for Saramento.
Anderson identifies Spurs VP of basketball operations Brent Barry, Raptors general manager Bobby Webster, Knicks GM Scott Perry, Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren, Heat assistant GM Adam Simon, and Clippers assistant GM Trent Redden as executives who may be on the Kings’ preliminary list of candidates.
Sean Cunningham of ABC10, who singled out many of those same execs as ones to watch, mentioned veteran agent Bill Duffy as another possibility (Twitter link). However, Duffy indicated today that he currently has no plans to follow in the footsteps of Bob Myers, Leon Rose, and other agents who have made the move to a team’s front office.
“There’s no truth to me joining an NBA organization,” Duffy told Jason Jones and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I’m fully committed to my clients and their success.”
Joe Dumars, who is the Kings’ interim head of basketball operations, will be involved in the search for a new GM, though team owner Vivek Ranadive and COO Matina Kolokotronis are “viewed as the ultimate decision makers,” Anderson writes.
Anderson also notes that it will be interesting to see what sort of role Dumars ultimately retains in the front office, since Divac’s departure stemmed from Ranadive’s desire to have the former Pistons GM take on a larger role and to have the final say on the roster. Sources tell Anderson that some qualified candidates may be reluctant to fill Sacramento’s GM opening if it doesn’t come with full control over the roster.
The Kings won a key NBA draft tiebreaker that took place today, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The league conducts tiebreakers when two teams finish the season with the same record. The winner of the tiebreaker gets the higher pick or the higher spot in the lottery standings.
In Sacramento’s case, the team entered the March 11 hiatus with a 28-36 record, identical to the Pelicans‘ 28-36 mark. Because the NBA is sorting its lottery standings based on non-playoff teams’ pre-hiatus records, the Kings and Pelicans had been tied for the 12th spot.
As a result of today’s tiebreaker, Sacramento will get the 12th pick in the draft, assuming neither of the two teams behind them jump into the top four; the Pelicans would receive the 13th pick in that scenario. The two teams’ draft lottery odds will be nearly identical, though Sacramento will have the slight edge, with the Kings receiving 13 of 1,000 available ping-pong ball combinations on lottery night, compared to 12 combinations for the Pelicans.
In the second round, the order will be flipped — the Pelicans will get the No. 42 pick and the Kings will be at No. 43.
Meanwhile, the Thunder finished the season tied with the Rockets and Jazz in the standings at 44-28, so a tiebreaker was required to determine their draft order.
As a result of today’s tiebreaker, the Oklahoma City pick will be No. 21, according to Charania, who adds that Houston’s pick will be No. 22, followed by Utah’s at No. 23.
Of those three teams, only the Jazz actually still own their 2020 first-rounder. The Sixers will receive OKC’s No. 21 pick, while the Nuggets will get Houston’s pick at No. 22. It’s an ideal outcome for Philadelphia, considering that Thunder pick was top-20 protected.
In the second round, Utah’s pick will be No. 51, Houston’s will be No. 52, and Oklahoma City’s will be No. 53. However, the Jazz and Rockets don’t own their second-rounders. Instead, it’ll be the Warriors drafting at No. 51 and the Kings at No. 52.
In an interview with Marcos Breton of The Sacramento Bee, former Kings general manager Vlade Divac discusses his most controversial moves, including the draft day decision from two years ago that likely ended his time with the franchise. Divac got a phone call Friday from owner Vivek Ranadive telling him that Joe Dumars was taking over the front office, but Divac’s fate was probably sealed when he used the second pick in the 2018 draft to take Marvin Bagley III instead of Luka Doncic.
Bagley has played 75 combined games in two injury-filled seasons, while Doncic has quickly become an All-Star. Divac admits the decision became a source of tension with the owner, explaining that he saw Bagley as a better fit and remains confident he has a bright future.
“That was my decision,” Divac said. “I still believe Marvin has big upside. But I needed more time to prove it. I’m sure Marvin is going to prove everybody wrong. But in this league, you need to produce right now. People don’t have patience but I’m OK with that.”
Also in the interview, Divac talks about his decision not to pick up Harry Giles‘ option, the hiring of Luke Walton as head coach and Buddy Hield‘s frustration with his reserve role.
There’s more Kings news this morning:
- Divac turned down Ranadive’s offer to remain in the front office and share power with Dumars, according to Sam Amick and Jason Jones of The Athletic. After conducting exit interviews with Kings players, Divac spoke with Ranadive again later in the day, but the owner hadn’t changed his mind. Sources tell the authors that Divac will be paid for the remainder of his contract, which runs through the 2022/23 season, and that Walton’s job remains safe.
- Knicks general manager Scott Perry may be a candidate to replace Divac, suggests Marc Berman of The New York Post. Perry spent a short time with the Sacramento front office before coming to New York and reportedly left on good terms. He also has experience working for Dumars in Detroit. Knicks president Leon Rose recently exercised Perry’s option for next season, but he may not have much job security with a new management team in place.
- The Kings will take their time finding a new general manager, and the search could extend into next season, writes Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Goodwill thinks Dumars might opt for a younger executive, similar to his experience with the Pistons when he took over the front office at age 37.
5:14pm: The Kings have announced Stojanovic’s resignation, tweets James Ham of NBC Sports California.
“It has been a great joy and honor to work in the Kings’ front office for the past five years,” Stojakovic said in a statement. “I want to thank the organization and especially the incredible fans around the world for the support over the years. Sacramento will always be home to me and I wish the franchise nothing but the very best.”
2:47pm: Assistant general manager Peja Stojakovic will likely be the next executive to leave the Kings‘ front office, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Sources tell Charnia that Stojakovic is expected to resign his position, following Friday’s announcement that GM Vlade Divac is parting ways with the franchise.
A former star player with Sacramento, Stojakovic was hired as director of player personnel and development in 2015. Three years later, he was promoted to his current role as assistant GM, which also involves running the team’s G League affiliate in Stockton.
The Kings may be looking at a full front office makeover once Divac and Stojakovic are officially gone. Former Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, who was serving as a special advisor, will be running the franchise until a new GM is hired.
Kings general manager Vlade Divac is stepping down from his current position in the front office, reports Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Joe Dumars, who had been serving as a special advisor, will become the team’s interim executive vice president of basketball operations and general manager, according to Amick, who adds that Dumars will be involved in the search for Sacramento’s next GM.
The Kings have announced Divac’s departure and Dumars’ new role, issuing a press release to confirm the news. The wording of a statement from Kings owner Vivek Ranadive suggests the team may have had a hand in Divac’s decision to “step down.”
“This was a difficult decision, but we believe it is the best path ahead as we work to build a winning team that our loyal fans deserve,” Ranadive said. “We are thankful for Vlade’s leadership, commitment, and hard work both on and off the court. He will always be a part of our Kings family.”
News of the Kings’ front office shakeup comes on the heels of a report suggesting Divac’s job likely wouldn’t be in danger, since he still had three years left on his contract. Based on the framing of his departure as a resignation, it’s unclear whether Divac will be paid some or all of his remaining salary.
Divac joined the Kings in March 2015 and was promoted to the general manager position just a few months later. Over the course of his five years in Sacramento’s front office, Divac has had his ups and downs. He got a solid return – including Buddy Hield – when he traded DeMarcus Cousins, and drafted a potential franchise cornerstone in 2017, snaring De’Aaron Fox with the No. 5 pick.
However, Divac has been unable to add enough talent to turn Sacramento into a playoff team — the Kings’ 39-43 record a year ago was their best mark since 2006, the last year they made the playoffs. A handful of questionable roster and draft decisions during Divac’s tenure have hurt the club.
The most memorable misstep came during the 2018 draft, when the Kings passed on Luka Doncic to take Marvin Bagley III with the No. 2 pick. Bagley was hampered by injuries this year and has yet to develop into a reliable NBA contributor, while Doncic won Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 and was a legitimate MVP candidate in his second professional season.
Although the Kings will seek a new general manager, they’re hopeful that their interim structure will provide enough stability through the draft and free agency, and may not fill the GM opening until after the draft, reports Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter links). Dumars could be considered for the permanent job if he’s interested, Spears adds (via Twitter).
Meanwhile, Amick reports (via Twitter) that head coach Luke Walton‘s job remains safe despite the upheaval in the front office. Even though Walton was hand-picked by Divac, there “won’t be another domino falling here,” according to Amick.
While Walton appears safe for at least next season, James Ham of NBC Sports California suggests (via Twitter) that the new GM will likely be permitted to decide on the fates of some staff members, including executives Peja Stojakovic and Ken Catanella.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Despite the Kings‘ disappointing season, there’s still no indication that general manager Vlade Divac or head coach Luke Walton are in any danger of losing their jobs, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic.
As Amick notes, both Divac and Walton have three years remaining on their contracts, so the idea of replacing either of them isn’t particularly appealing from a financial perspective. The Kings have suffered significant losses related to the real estate they control around their arena and have had to make business operations layoffs, sources tell Amick.
Still, the pressure on Divac is increasing, according to Amick, who suggests that advisor Joe Dumars has become a “valued voice” for owner Vivek Ranadive and may have an increased role going forward. Sources tell The Athletic that the Divac/Dumars relationship is good, but Amick says he wouldn’t be surprised to see minor front office changes made this offseason, including perhaps an addition to the current group.
Here’s more on the Kings:
- Within his article linked above, Amick writes that a midseason role change – from starter to sixth man – was “known to displease” Buddy Hield. Asked today after the Kings’ final game if he can be content with that role moving forward, Hield didn’t give a direct answer, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter links).
- Over at the The Sacramento Bee, Anderson takes a look at whether former first-round pick Harry Giles may have played his final game for the Kings today.
- Greg Wissinger, writing for the Sacramento Bee, expresses confusion that the Kings didn’t pivot more strongly to focusing on player development once they were eliminated from the postseason over the weekend, suggesting that they’ve been playing recently with “no clear objective.”
- James Ham of NBC Sports California previews some key offseason deadlines from a Kings perspective, including Nemanja Bjelica‘s October 17 salary guarantee date.
- Kings swingman Kent Bazemore appears unlikely to play against the Lakers on Thursday, Sean Cunningham of KXTV tweets. Bazemore, who hasn’t played since last Thursday, is dealing with a calf injury. He will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
When Buddy Hield signed his four-year contract extension with the Kings last fall, it was said to be worth $86MM, with another $20MM available in incentives. When that deal goes into effect for the 2020/21 season, only $500K of the $5MM in annual incentives will be considered likely, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).
As Marks explains (via Twitter), finishing in the top 10 in the NBA in three-pointers made – as Hield did this season – will be worth $500K per year on his new contract. As a result, the Kings sharpshooter will have a first-year cap hit of $24.9MM in ’20/21 rather than $24.4MM, the base value. Hield can still earn his other $4.5MM in annual bonus money — those incentives will just be considered “unlikely” rather than “likely,” meaning they won’t count against the team’s cap for the time being.
- After a disappointing finish to the 2019/20 season extended the Kings‘ postseason drought to 14 consecutive seasons, the team faces difficult questions and an uncertain future, writes James Ham of NBC Sports California.
- Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee explores the job security of Kings coach Luke Walton, general manager Vlade Divac, and more in his latest mailbag. Sacramento (29-40) is currently three games behind the No. 8 seed Grizzlies (33-38), losing four of their five games in Orlando. The team will be eliminated from playoff contention if it loses to the Rockets on Sunday.