Report: Vivek Ranadive wants executive to place over Vlade Divac, Sam Hinkie could be target

The shakeup of the Sacramento Kings may not have ended with last month’s trade of DeMarcus Cousins.

Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports on Monday that Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has begun searching for an executive to place over general manager Vlade Divac.

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has been quietly searching for an executive to place over Vlade Divac, league sources tell @TheVertical.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) March 27, 2017

ESPN’s Marc Stein adds that the Kings have “expressed exploratory interest” in former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie and have received permission to speak with him. Ranadive is said to have been “long intrigued” by the executive of Process-ian fame.

However, Wojnarowski also notes that the interest may not be mutual on Hinkie’s part, despite the pressure building on Ranadive to make the Kings front office more professional.

As ESPN reports, Sam Hinkie is a target. Ranadive has casually talked with Hinkie, sources say, but Hinkie unsure his interest in job there.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) March 28, 2017

From Sac's minority owners and NBA, there's been pressure on Ranadive to make Kings front office more professional — starting at top.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) March 28, 2017

Divac, who had no prior front office experience when he was hired as Kings GM in 2015, has been a bumbling mess since the very start. Hiring Hinkie, who has earned a reputation as something of a guru when it comes to rebuilds and who has holed up in nearby Palo Alto since he stepped down as Sixers GM last April, could very well be a home run.

UPDATE: The Kings organization has released the following statement about the rumors: “The Kings are not hiring Sam Hinkie and have no plans to bring anyone in above Vlade.”