Vlade Divac resigns as Sacramento Kings general manager

Vlade Divac (Medija Beograd, Wikimedia Commons)

According to Riley McAtee of The Ringer on Friday, Vlade Divac of Prijepolje, Serbia resigned as the general manager of the Sacramento Kings. Divac had been the Kings’ general manager since August 31, 2015. Over the last five seasons, the Kings have had a record of 162 wins and 238 losses for a winning percentage of .405.

There is no doubt that Sacramento has struggled over the last 15 years. They have not reached the playoffs since 2005-06, when they were beaten by the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the Western Conference quarterfinals.

In McAtee’s report, one reason why Divac resigned is the fact that he was unable to deliver on his long term plan for Sacramento. On February 20, 2017, when the Kings traded All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans, Divac stated he believed Sacramento would be much better in two years, and if they were not, he would decide to step down.

It should be noted that Cousins, a native of Mobile, Alabama, played a season and a half with the Pelicans until the end of the 2017-18 season. He then signed a one year deal with the Golden State Warriors and then signed a one year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, Cousins never played for the Lakers as he tore his ACL in a preseason workout.

Despite the resignation, Divac will always be connected to the Kings. The Hall of Famer played six seasons in Sacramento from 1999 to 2004, and averaged 11.4 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game in 454 games. An all-star in 2001, Divac reached the playoffs every year in Sacramento as a player, even though he could not get there as a general manager.

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