Sam Hinkie Reportedly to Speak with Kings Regarding Front-Office Job

The Sacramento Kings have received permission to speak with former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie about a possible role in their front office, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Zach Lowe. 

Stein noted that teams wishing to discuss employment with Hinkie "must receive permission from the Sixers to speak with him as part of his non-compete agreement this season."

It's unclear exactly what role Hinkie would play in the front office if he expressed interest in a gig, but The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that Kings owner Vivek Ranadive "has been quietly searching for an executive to place over Vlade Divac."

The Kings would release the following statement regarding the news, per Wojnarowski, "The Kings are not hiring Sam Hinkie and have no plans to bring anyone in above Vlade." However, Wojnarowski reinforced his report that they are indeed searching for someone above Divac. 

"Ranadive has been canvassing the NBA for possible candidates and has been mostly intrigued with Hinkie, who is living in the Northern California area now," Wojnarowski wrote."There’s been discussion at the Kings’ ownership level about keeping Divac in a player-personnel role, but transferring the overall management of basketball operations to someone else."

Furthermore, Wojnarowski cited league sources who said, "Ranadive has had conversations with Hinkie since his 76ers resignation in the spring and hoped to start down a path of hiring him to run the Kings."

The Kings have long been regarded as one of the NBA's most dysfunctional franchises, and moves over the past few years with Divac at the helm have not helped that perception.  

In a January article chronicling some of the Kings' more puzzling moves, ESPN.com's Kevin Arnovitz noted: "Several agents and executives who shared their thoughts on background have found working with the Kings to be confounding, and negotiations, in the words of one, to be 'abnormal.' They describe an organization whose constituencies cannot get on the same page, each guided by divergent philosophies and competing preferences."

In that regard, making a move for Hinkie—the architect of Philadelphia's divisive Process—could help strengthen the basketball operations department. 

Hinkie was renowned as one of the league's most forward thinkers during his time with the Sixers, and he set the franchise up for future success by embracing the long game and nabbing draft picks that led to the selections of Joel Embiid, Dario Saric and Ben Simmons. 

He also pulled off one of the more memorable trades in recent years when the Sixers acquired Nik Stauskas, Carl Landry, Jason Thompson, a 2019 first-round pick and the right to swap 2016 and 2017 first-round picks with the Kings in exchange for a future second-round pick so they could clear cap space to sign Rajon Rondo. 

Making matters worse for the Kings was that Divac was reportedly not educated on behind-the-scenes trade machinations. 

Citing league sources, Arnovitz reported "when the Kings and Sixers struck a deal to send Nik Stauskas to Philadelphia, Divac was surprised to learn that the trade had to be confirmed on a conference call with the league. Multiple agents express astonishment at how poorly versed Divac is in the NBA's collective bargaining agreement."

However, Divac denied that account when speaking to Arnovitz. 

Now in full-on rebuilding mode after shipping DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Kings need to thrive in the asset management department. 

Hinkie, then, would seem to be a logical fit if Ranadive can convince him the team it is willing to embrace a plan that prioritizes long-term gains over short-term prosperity. 

Draft pick information courtesy of RealGM.com.