Vlade Divac is out as Sacramento Kings GM, but those hoping for head coach Luke Walton to follow him out the door may be out of luck for now.
Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Friday that Walton’s job is safe, despite the fact that Walton was hand-picked by Divac and that the two were on the same contractual timeline (through the 2022-23 season).
Divac is stepping down after five seasons at the helm, and former Detroit Pistons GM Joe Dumars, who was hired by the Kings as an advisor, will assume the interim GM duties. Sacramento is still looking for their first winning season since the 2005-06 campaign.
As for Walton, he did not inspire very much confidence in his first season as coach of the Kings, going 31-41 (.431) and having to answer questions about supposed friction with his players. Walton has three more years left on his contract however, and the Kings are still paying his fired predecessor Dave Joerger, so it might not be the wisest decision to let Walton go right now.
