Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac was not the biggest fan of head coach Dave Joerger, but even the slightest nudge pushed Joerger to the doghouse. At some point during the 2018-19 season, Joerger had told Divac he had an ace in the hole that could change the scope of the franchise.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Joerger told Divac in passive-aggressive jest, that he had negotiated an in-season trade with the Dallas Mavericks that would finally bring Luka Doncic their way after mightily whiffing during the 2018 NBA Draft.
Divac was already getting plenty of backlash for that gaffe and Joerger's public comments about the Kings not drafting Doncic were already widely perceived as critical of the front office, and more specifically — Divac.
“I think perhaps there was an idea that there was a ceiling on him,” Joerger had said then. “I don’t see it, unfortunately for us.”
Joerger was likely just repeating the same concept the front office had before the draft, as Divac chose to go with surefire over potential. Joerger’s insistence that Bagley should come off the bench caused even more frustration, which paved the way for a clash with assistant general manager Brandon Williams.
Divac, unamused by Joerger's jest, turned it up on more notch.
“Do I get their coach, too?” he said, referring to the Mavericks boss Rick Carlisle.
If it wasn't clear that Joerger was in the hot seat then, this latest barb from Divac made it plenty obvious he was planning to make changes at the helm.
The Kings have been crucified by passing on Doncic, and this could be a decision that bites them for the better part of the next two decades.
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