Potential candidates emerge in Kings’ GM search folllowing resignation of Vlade Divac
A number of potential candidates have emerged in the early stages of the Kings’ search for a new general manager.
League sources expect the Kings to hire an executive search firm to help them fill the position that was vacated when Vlade Divac resigned on Friday, but several names have already come up in conversations with people around the league.
The preliminary list of candidates in Sacramento could include San Antonio Spurs vice president of basketball operations Brent Barry; Toronto Raptors general manager Bobby Webster; New York Knicks general manager Scott Perry; Boston Celtics assistant general manager Mike Zarren; Miami Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon; and Los Angeles Clippers assistant general manager Trent Redden.
The Kings also have a second opening in their front office after assistant general manager Peja Stojakovic joined Divac in stepping down. The Kings would need to be granted permission to speak with candidates currently under contract by other teams.
Joe Dumars, who joined the Kings organization as an adviser last summer, will serve as interim general manager and executive vice president of basketball operations. The team said it will work with Dumars to establish a long-term strategy for the organization’s basketball operations structure, including the search for a permanent general manager.
Outside the organization, Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé and Chief Operating Officer Matina Kolokotronis are viewed as the ultimate decision makers in the general manager search. However, a team source told The Sacramento Bee that while Kolokotronis remains a trusted adviser to Ranadivé who is responsible for running the team’s business operations, she does not have decision-making authority in basketball operations.
Dumars may want to carve out a significant role for himself moving forward. It will be interesting to see how Dumars structures the new front office. Dumars is a former NBA Executive of the Year who constructed a championship team in Detroit, but sources said some of the most qualified candidates might be reluctant to take the job if they don’t have total control of the roster.
“My role as interim Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations is to immediately assume General Manager duties during this transition period and assist Vivek in developing a long-term strategy for the basketball operations department,” Dumars said in a written statement provided to The Bee. “As part of that process, I will support a thorough national search for a permanent General Manager over the coming months. The search will be run by an outside firm and Vivek will have the final decision making authority.”
Here’s a look at a few of the candidates the Kings are said to be considering:
Joe Dumars
The Kings believe appointing Dumars interim general manager will provide a level of stability as the search unfolds leading up to the draft and free agency, but then what?
Dumars, 57, came to the Kings as an adviser to the general manager last summer. He has quickly established trust with Ranadivé. Given his background and reputation, it is entirely possible Dumars could be considered for the job if he wants it.
Dumars was a six-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion as a player with the Detroit Pistons. He later served as the team’s president of basketball operations from 2000-14. He assembled a team that won a championship in 2004 and went to the Eastern Conference finals six years in a row.
Scott Perry
Perry, 56, worked with Dumars and Kings assistant general manager Ken Catanella in Detroit. Perry helped Dumars put together the team that reached the conference finals every year from 2003-08.
Perry served as vice president of basketball operations for the Kings for three months in the spring and summer of 2017 and made a positive impression in a short period of time. Perry was credited with using his connections around the league to bring high-profile prospects to Sacramento for pre-draft workouts after the organization struggled for years to attract top talent. That was a big summer for the Kings, who selected De’Aaron Fox with the fifth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Less than a month after the draft, the Knicks swooped in and hired Perry as their general manager. Perry drafted RJ Barrett with the No. 3 pick in 2019, took Kevin Knox with the No. 9 pick in 2018 and uncovered a gem when he selected Mitchell Robinson with the No. 36 pick in the second round of the 2018 draft.
The Knicks signed Perry to a one-year extension in April, but changes are clearly underway in the front office after Leon Rose took over as team president in March.
Bobby Webster
Webster, 36, joined the Raptors front office in June 2013 as the first hire under team president Masai Ujiri.
He served as vice president of basketball management and strategy and later as assistant general manager before he was promoted to general manager in June 2017, becoming the youngest GM in the NBA at 32 years old. Webster helped Ujiri build the team that won the 2019 NBA championship.
Webster worked for the NBA office from 2006-13. During his time with the league office, he advised all 30 teams on issues relating to the collective bargaining agreement, salary cap and luxury tax planning. He served as the NBA’s associate director for salary cap management before joining the Raptors.
In April, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Chicago Bulls would likely seek permission to interview Webster for their general manager opening. There were also reports the Raptors would likely deny the request. The Bulls hired Marc Eversley in May.
Brent Barry
Barry, 48, was a two-time NBA champion as a player with the Spurs. He worked in television following retirement but returned to the Spurs in 2018 as the team’s vice president of basketball operations.
Barry’s responsibilities in San Antonio include pro player personnel evaluation, college scouting and draft preparation. His job description also includes strategic planning and roster management.
Barry has never been a general manager, but he has learned under Spurs CEO R.C. Buford and coach Gregg Popovich. Barry was rumored as a possible candidate in Detroit before the Pistons hired Troy Weaver in June.
Mike Zarren
Zarren, 44, started working with the Celtics 14 years ago as an unpaid intern. Now he’s the assistant general manager and team counsel.
Zarren is an analytics wizard, widely recognized as one of the game’s brightest minds when it comes to advanced statistical analysis. He is also considered the team’s salary cap expert and is responsible for developing new technologies for team use, including Boston’s statistical database and video archive/delivery system.
The Harvard Law School graduate is a lifelong Celtics fan and season-ticket holder, but he was once a finalist for the GM job in Philadelphia and has been rumored as a potential candidate a number of other times over the years.
Adam Simon
Simon, 46, currently serves as vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager of the Miami Heat. He has been with the organization for 25 years.
Simon assists team president Pat Riley and general manager Andy Elisburg in all aspects of player personnel. He is said to have played an integral role in drafting Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and KZ Okpala, and in acquiring undrafted free agents such as Duncan Robinson, Derrick Jones Jr. and Hassan Whiteside.
Trent Redden
Redden, 36, is a Sacramento native who attended Sheldon High School.
He worked for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2007-17. He served much of that time under former general manager David Griffin. Redden started as basketball operations manager, was named director of player personnel in 2011 and served as assistant general manager from 2013-17.
Redden joined the Clippers as an assistant general manager in 2018. Redden interviewed with Griffin for the GM job in New Orleans in 2019 but returned to Los Angeles, where he is regarded as a valuable member of one of the NBA’s deepest front offices.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
