Proposed delay in NBA draft and free-agency period would benefit Kings in GM search
Possible delays in the upcoming NBA offseason calendar would be beneficial to the Kings as they set out to find a new general manager in the weeks and months to come.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that the National Basketball Players Association is preparing players for the likelihood that the start of free agency could be delayed several weeks from Oct. 16. Many teams reportedly want to delay the Oct. 16 draft as well and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts is skeptical the 2020-21 season will begin Dec. 1 as scheduled. Sources told ESPN the union is advising players the season the season could start in late December, January or even February.
This is a significant development in Sacramento, where the Kings are less than a week into their general manager search following the resignation of Vlade Divac. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and Joe Dumars, the team’s interim general manager and executive vice president of basketball operations, will oversee the search. They have hired Sportsology CEO Mike Forde’s executive search firm to assist them.
The Kings intend to conduct a thorough search and have provided no timetable for the hiring process. This is an important decision that will set a new course for the franchise, but the Kings might find themselves in a difficult position if the offseason calendar remains the same.
The Kings would have only eight weeks before the draft takes place and some candidates would not even be made available for interviews until their teams are eliminated from the playoffs, which could be as late as Oct. 12. Delays in the draft and free agency would give the Kings more time to interview top candidates and put the right person in place to make critical decisions.
The Kings have four picks in this draft — their lottery pick plus three second-round selections. They also have to negotiate a huge contract extension with De’Aaron Fox and decide whether to keep players such as Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nemanja Bjelica, Harry Giles III, Kent Bazemore and Alex Len.
