Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac is stepping down from his role.
As first reported by Sam Amick of The Athletic, Divac is leaving his position as the team’s GM after five years in the role. Joe Dumars will take over on an interim basis and run the search for Divac’s replacement.
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
Amick also reports that coach Luke Walton, hired by Divac and the Kings last offseason, is not in danger of losing his job after the GM’s departure.
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 said in 2017 that he would resign if the DeMarcus Cousins trade did not work out for the team. In five seasons with Divac as GM, the Kings haven’t had a winning season or made a playoff appearance, and many of his moves have been criticized. He also never really nailed any of his high draft picks, infamously passing on Luka Doncic in favor of Marvin Bagley second overall in 2018.
Divac signed a contract extension with the Kings at the end of the 2018-19 season, so something has changed significantly in a year. It’s especially notable given his battles with ownership, which he seemed to have won.
