Fired: Kings reportedly ready to dismiss assistant general manager Brandon Williams

The Kings are reportedly on the verge of firing assistant general manager Brandon Williams, who clashed with coach Dave Joerger during an embarrassing public spat earlier this season.

The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported Williams was meeting with general manager Vlade Divac on Thursday morning and that Divac had decided Williams will not return next season.

Divac was working quickly to address pressing issues hours after agreeing to a four-year contract extension with the team. In addition to Williams’ exit, it was also reported that Joerger and Kings PR director Chris Clark would be dismissed Thursday.

The relationship between Joerger and Williams became a focal point early in the season after a Yahoo Sports report suggested the coach’s job could be in jeopardy due to his handling of rookies Marvin Bagley III, Harry Giles III and other young players.

Williams was widely believed to be a primary source for the Yahoo story. Two weeks later, there was more controversy when Joerger asked Williams to leave the team’s shoot-around hours before a nationally televised game, and a report in The Athletic revealed Joerger believed Williams had been trying to replace him.

In January, the organization offered Joerger’s assistant coaches one-year extensions in order to align their contracts with his, but The Sacramento Bee learned some of the assistants did not accept those deals.

This story was originally published April 11, 2019 at 9:15 AM.