Vlade Divac close to finalizing contract extension to remain Kings’ GM

Despite a season full of losses and dysfunction, the Sacramento Kings are on the verge of finalizing a multi-year extension with vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac, according to ESPN's Marc Stein. The team also plans on adding a "seasoned NBA executive" to the front office and has honed in on former Pacers GM and current Bucks assistant general manager David Morway, according to Stein.

Divac, who spent six seasons playing for Sacramento and retired in 2005, was brought in last March by Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and handed full control of the team's basketball decisions despite never previously holding an NBA front-office job. The move irked many within the organization and (among other issues) caused former general manager Pete D'Alessandro to leave and take a job in Denver with Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke.

Since then, Divac has reigned over a team enduring one of the most tumultuous seasons in the league. He got fleeced by the Sixers in a trade last February, giving up control of multiple future draft picks to create salary-cap space he could have created in another way. In June, Yahoo! Sports reported that Divac was "largely unfamiliar with the collective bargaining and salary-cap rules."

This season, the Kings are just 29-45 despite entering the year with playoff aspirations. Their head coach, George Karl, was nearly fired in February and now takes public shots at his own players. His star player, DeMarcus Cousins, has responded by essentially leading an open mutiny.

Divac did make a few smart transactions over the offseason such as signing Rajon Rondo to a one-year deal, but his tenure has largely been a catastrophe. Now, it will be up to him to hire a new head coach and figure out a way to either appease Cousins or deal him for a bounty of assets.