Sacramento Kings in limbo during search for new general manager

The Sacramento Kings are undergoing yet another front office shift, and the delay in finding a new general manager could prove costly.

It has been nearly three weeks since Vlade Divac stepped down from his position as general manager of the Sacramento Kings. His tumultuous five-year stint with the franchise included shortsighted trades, overpays in free agency, and poor decisions during drafts that ultimately decided his fate. After a disappointing 2019-’20 campaign that followed an offseason full of questionable moves, it was in the best interest of the Kings to move on.

Since he stepped down on August 14th, the Kings have yet to find (or even hint about) Divac’s replacement. In what has become a seemingly convoluted situation, the team has appointed Joe Dumars to be the interim general manager, who will apparently aide in the search for a new man in charge.

With each day that passes without a hiring, the concern for the immediate future of the Kings grows. The franchise is likely headed for yet another rebuild, and there are big decisions to make and to evaluate first.

Multiple expiring contracts sit on the table for Sacramento. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kent Bazemore, Alex Len and others are set to become free agents in some capacity, and will certainly garner offers on the open market. The crop of free agents for this particular NBA off-season is lackluster, and the aforementioned players could be relatively hot commodities.

There are draft evaluations to be done. The Kings hold the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, which boasts a class that is not top-heavy, but should have a handful of boom or bust prospects available late in the top 15. The team will need to have the current roster and depth chart in mind in order to draft for need and to be able to fill any holes that could be created by trades or free agent departures.

There will be pressure on whoever takes over the reins in Sacramento’s front office to deliver in the draft. The biggest issue for the Kings in their 14+ year stretch of futility has been their inability to make good on their draft capital, and fans are hungry for successful use of their assets.

While other franchises are busy mulling their free agency options and drawing up draft boards for every possible scenario, the Kings front office and immediate future hangs in limbo.

Granted, a date has yet to be announced for when the draft will be held or when the free agency period will begin. The league has pushed back the projected dates due to issues with the pandemic, and the timing for the start of next season is up in the air as well. This certainly buys the Kings some extra time to conduct their search, though having someone to man the ship as soon as possible would be beneficial for a team surrounded by so much uncertainty.

Perhaps Vivek Ranadive and company have a plan. Maybe Dumars is doing all of the necessary scouting and talent evaluation now before handing off the keys to the new hire. Or maybe, in what would be true Kangz fashion, they’ll just stick with Dumars.

Whatever the decision ends up being, the Sacramento Kings had better figure it out quickly. Every day that passes without a new general manager puts the franchise a day behind everyone else.