Dave Joerger has every reason to be resentful.

He was fired on Thursday after leading the Sacramento Kings, expected by many to be the worst team in the NBA, to a 39-43 record this season, the franchise's best finish in over 10 years. For the first time since the early 2000s, the Kings find themselves with lasting, meaningful hope, a development for which Joerger deserves immense credit.

None of that was enough for general manager Vlade Divac, though, who also dismissed a number of other high-profile names within the organization with the implicit goal of consolidating his power. Mission accomplished. What still remains to be seen is whether the Kings will be better off for it in the long run.

One thing is for sure, though — Joerger will be watching his former team closely regardless, after developing an undying fondness for both the Kings organization and the city of Sacramento.

“I bled purple, there is no doubt,” he said on Friday, per James Ham of NBC Sports California. “That will always run deep for me.

“I see why [former coach] Rick Adelman gave everything he had and how much he loved it here,” Joerger continued. “Certainly I was hoping to try to bring that level of success to Sacramento, but I’m extremely thankful for the relationships that I’ve built.”

Joerger, hired in just two days after he was fired by the Memphis Grizzlies in May of 2016, finishes his Kings tenure with a 98-148 record over three seasons. Divac is reportedly interested in replacing him with Luke Walton, who on Friday mutually agreed to part ways with the Los Angeles Lakers.