The Sacramento Kings are attempting to hire the man who is at least a tiny bit responsible for some of their current dysfunction in former Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie, per a report from ESPN’s Zach Lowe.
ESPN’s Marc Stein and The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski went on to further that initial report on Twitter:
League sources say Kings have interest in bringing Hinkie into their front office. Neither exact role nor Hinkie's interest level yet known
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) March 27, 2017
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has been quietly searching for an executive to place over Vlade Divac, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) March 27, 2017
Any team interested in Sam Hinkie must receive permission from the Sixers to speak with him as part of his non-compete agreement this season
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) March 28, 2017
As ESPN reports, Sam Hinkie is a target. Ranadive has casually talked with Hinkie, sources say, but Hinkie unsure his interest in job there.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) March 28, 2017
From Sac's minority owners and NBA, there's been pressure on Ranadive to make Kings front office more professional -- starting at top.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) March 28, 2017
Holy Pick Swapalypse, Batman!
Lowe had the following to say in his published report for ESPN:
Neither Hinkie's level of interest in a position with Sacramento, nor the sort of role Ranadive envisions for Hinkie in a front office currently run by popular former Kings player Vlade Divac, was immediately known.
Sources say other undisclosed teams have also sought permission to speak to Hinkie, which is presently required because the 39-year-old executive is forced to sit out the 2016-17 season based on the terms of the non-compete clause that took effect when he left Philadelphia in April 2016.
Given his demeanor and obvious passion for basketball, it was hard to imagine Hinkie not staying involved in the game after the expiration of his non-compete clause. It just so happens that Sacramento would be the most hilarious, yet fitting destination for him given their need to rebuild, and the far-reaching effects of the Nik Stauskas and pick swaps trade the two sides made back in July 2015.
When considering the way oversight from ownership led to his eventual resignation in Philadelphia, I can’t see Hinkie being overly thrilled to work beneath an owner like Vivek Ranadive, but maybe the urge to get back into the sport so quickly could sway him.
In any case, options are out there, and the Godfather of The Process might be back in a position of power soon enough.
UPDATE: March 28, 4:15 p.m.
A Kings representative reached out to me to specifically indicate their stance against this report, saying, “The Kings are not hiring Sam Hinkie and have no plans to bring anyone in above Vlade.”