Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac has resigned from his position in the front office, the team announced Friday.
Joe Dumars will take over as interim executive vice president of basketball operations with GM responsibilities as he searches for Divac's replacement.
A former center, the 52-year-old Divac played for Sacramento from 1998 to 2004, rejoining the organization in March 2015 as a front-office executive before assuming the role of GM a few months later in August.
According to The Athletic's Sam Amick, Luke Walton's job as head coach remains safe.
The announcement comes one day after the Kings concluded their season with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday and after failing to make the postseason for the 14th consecutive year.
During Divac's tenure, the club never reached 40 wins in a season, finishing with 39 wins only once (2018-19). That was despite numerous lottery picks that failed to pan out including Willie Cauley-Stein (2015), Marquese Chriss (2016) and Zach Collins (2017).
None of the three are still with the team.
The Kings' most recent first-rounder, Marvin Bagley III (2018), has struggled with staying healthy since entering the league.
While Divac did find success with No. 5 overall pick De'Aaron Fox (2017), missing on four other top-10 picks has stalled Sacramento's rebuilding process.
The franchise is still seeking its first postseason berth since 2005-06.
Dumars joined Sacramento as an advisor last season after a Hall of Fame career with the Detroit Pistons. He later joined the front office, winning an NBA title in 2004 and earning Executive of the Year in 2003. He stayed with the Pistons until 2014, ultimately stepping down after six straight seasons under .500.
He'll have plenty to work through with the Kings in the coming months as the league prepares to likely begin the 2020-21 season in December.
Both Bagley and Fox have club options this summer, while Alex Len, Kent Bazemore, Yogi Ferrell and Harry Giles are unrestricted free agents. The team's best trade chip, Bogdan Bogdanovic, remains a restricted free agent, and the club had previously said it would match any offer sheet.
With a shorter offseason than usual due to the pandemic, Dumar's search for Divac's replacement will be far from the only item that requires immediate attention from the new VP.
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available. Get the best sports content from the web and social in the . Get the app and get the game.
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