It's been a tumultuous two years for the Sacramento Kings, with changes in everything from ownership to the front office to coaching. The shakeups may not be over, either. ESPN's Marc Stein reported vice president Vlade Divac is quietly overtaking general manager Pete D'Alessandro as the team's top decision-maker.
D'Alessandro and coach Mike Malone were among owner Vivek Ranadive's first hires when he bought the franchise in May 2013. If one thing's clear from Ranadive's first two years as owner, though, it's that he isn't afraid to make changes. He fired Malone in December and replaced him midseason with George Karl, and his next big shakeup could be right around the corner. D'Alessandro was initially hired to run the team's basketball operations for Ranadive, but according to Stein, the general manager is losing his clout.
"Vlade Divac has quietly emerged as the new lead voice of the Sacramento Kings' front office, according to league sources," Stein wrote Wednesday. "Sources told ESPN.com that Divac, who was recently hired by the Kings under the seemingly broad title of vice president of basketball and franchise operations, is indeed regarded as the team's top basketball official by owner Vivek Ranadive after months of turbulence in Sacramento.
"The Kings have yet to formally announce their new power structure, but sources say that Divac has supplanted both general manager Pete D'Alessandro and former Kings adviser Chris Mullin -- who just jumped to the college game as the new coach at alma mater St. John's -- as Sacramento's lead basketball decision-maker."
Stein didn't rule out the possibility of D'Alessandro being fired after the season, and he indicated the Kings are looking to bring in yet another front office executive.
"The future of D'Alessandro in Sacramento, especially after the departure of his closest ally in the organization in Mullin, is unclear," Stein wrote. "Sources say, however, that the Kings have already launched a search to add another front-line basketball executive to work alongside Divac whether D'Alessandro stays or departs."
Kings star DeMarcus Cousins has called this season with the Kings a "circus," and a report in January indicated Cousins was unhappy with all the changes happening in the organization.
It'll be interesting to see how the supposed power shift in the front office impacts the direction the team goes in terms of the 2015 NBA draft and the upcoming free agency period.
