The Sacramento Kings are in the market for a new general manager. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Vlade Divac, who has held the job since August of 2015, will step down after the team failed to make the postseason for the 14th season in a row, the longest active playoff drought in the NBA. Amick also reports that longtime NBA executive Joe Dumars will take over in the interim and help select 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’s report was soon confirmed by Sean Cunningham of ABC10, while the Kings eventually announced the decision in a statement.
Several sources confirm Vlade Divac stepping down to allow the organization search for a new GM. Joe Dumars to oversee in the interim, as @sam_amick reports.
Dumars has been assisting the Kings front office over the past year – not once has spoken publicly to the media.
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) August 14, 2020
The Kings make it official and announce that GM Vlade Divac is the first Bubble casualty, stepping down from his post after Sacramento extended its playoff drought to 14 seasons and counting.
Kings adviser Joe Dumars takes over the front office on an interim basis
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 14, 2020
Divac, who famously played for the team during their halcyon days in the late-90s/early-00s, joined the franchise in March of 2015 and was promoted soon after. With him at the helm of the front office, Sacramento went 162-238. His tenure was marked by several major moments, namely the decisions to trade DeMarcus Cousins and, most notably, the decision to take Duke’s Marvin Bagley III with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft over Luka Doncic. The teams also had three head coaches during Divac’s five years in charge.
Whomever takes over in Sacramento will inherit a roster with plenty of talent, although it is a franchise with a fan base that is starved for a playoff berth. This season, the Kings went 31-41, and despite being invited to the NBA’s Bubble in Orlando were unable to maneuver their way up the standings in the Western Conference.