Vlade Divac and Dave Joerger Secured Through 2019-20 Season

KINGS EXTEND CONTRACT OF GENERAL MANAGER VLADE DIVAC AND PICK UP FOURTH YEAR OPTION ON HEAD COACH DAVE JOERGER

—Kings GM and Head Coach Both Secured Through 2019-20 Season–

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —- The Sacramento Kings today announced that the team has extended the contract of General Manager Vlade Divac and secured the fourth year option on Head Coach Dave Joerger, keeping both in Sacramento through the 2019-20 season. 

“I am so excited to continue to build this team with incredible partners and want to thank Vivek and the entire Sacramento Kings organization for their support,” said Divac “Together, from ownership to the front office to Dave and his team, we’re unified in our vision for the future of this franchise. I look forward to the hard work and fun ahead as we strive to make Sacramento proud.”

“It is a great time to be in Sacramento and I’m thrilled by the opportunity to continue working alongside Vlade and the entire Kings organization,” said Joerger. “Together, we are bonded as a group focused on working hard and developing our team.”  

Divac enters his third year as General Manager after taking the helm of Sacramento’s front office during the 2015-16 season. Most recently, he is credited with uniting young assets with proven veterans via free agency, trades and the NBA Draft.

Over the course of the offseason, the former All-Star center augmented the Kings roster with first-round selections De’Aaron Fox (fifth overall), Justin Jackson (15^th overall) and Harry Giles (20^th overall) and National Player of the Year Frank Mason with the 34^th overall pick. Additionally, Divac brought in future Hall-of-Famer Vince Carter, two-time All-Star Zach Randolph and veteran point guard George Hill to complement the young roster. 

Hired in May of 2016, Joerger kept the Kings competitive with an eye on developing young talent during his first campaign in Sacramento, fostering growth from rookies Skal Labissiere, Malachi Richardson, Georgios Papagiannis and after a late season trade, 2016 sixth overall pick Buddy Hield.

In his last 25 games since joining the Kings in February, Hield scored in double-figures on 22 occasions, averaging 15.1 points (.480 FG%, .428 3pt%, .814 FT%), 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 29.1 minutes per contest, earning Rookie of the Month honors for games played in March and garnering NBA First Team All-Rookie honors.

Similarly, Labissiere demonstrated significant improvement as the season waned, increasing his scoring and rebounding averages by 8.3 points and 4.5 per game, respectively.

Joerger joined the Kings after spending three years as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, where he accrued a 147-99 regular season mark (.598) and guided the franchise to postseason berths in each of his seasons at the helm. Prior to entering the NBA ranks, Joerger won accolades as one of the most successful minor league coaches in history, piloting five teams to championships in three different basketball leagues from 2000-07.

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