Kings shake-up: What we know, what we don’t as Vlade cleans house

The Kings, coming off their most successful season in more than a decade, didn’t waste any time in looking to the future.

Less than 12 hours after the team played its 82nd and final game in Portland, the Kings gave general manager Vlade Divac an extension that keeps him at the helm through the 2022-23 season.

Divac will remain in charge of an NBA club which won 39 games, their most since the franchise’s last playoff team in 2005-06 went 44-38.

So what’s next for the Kings? Multiple sources around the league are saying at least two men have been fired: Assistant general manager Brandon Williams and head coach Dave Joerger.

Here’s a roundup of what’s being said:

ESPN

Senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Divac has fired Joerger, with one year left on his contract.

“Kings GM Vlade Divac is planning to fire coach Dave Joerger in a face-to-face meeting today, league sources tell ESPN,” Wojnarowski tweeted earlier in the morning.

He reported that Williams has also been terminated.

Senior writer Zack Lowe reports that the team has dismissed their longtime media relations director as well. “To give you an extent of how wide-ranging the upheaval is going to be there today,” Lowe tweeted.

The Athletic

Senior NBA writer Sam Amick is confirming reports that Joerger will be fired Thursday despite the team’s 12-game improvement from last season.

Amick tweeted that the top candidate to replace Joerger is Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton, if he’s available, with former New Orleans Pelicans coach Monty Williams, now an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers, and San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina in the mix as well.

Kings/NBA writer Jason Jones reported that Chris Clark, the Kings’ longtime media relations director, was also fired Thursday.

This story was originally published April 11, 2019 at 10:10 AM.