Keith

Smart

Ranadive, who only took official ownership of the club Tuesday, is wasting little time in reshaping the Kings to match his vision. Current GM Geoff Petrie’s contract expires in June and he will not be retained. In addition to hiring a GM, Ranadive is looking to replace Keith Smart as head coach. Ranadive is so interested in Warriors assistant Mike Malone that he might look to hire Malone as coach before naming a new GM, partly to stop the Clippers from hiring Malone first. We’ll update as we know more, but it sounds like the remodeling of the Kings could happen quickly.

With the hiring of Mike Malone, this is obvious news. Smart is still owed $2.5 million for next season, so the Kings are on the hook for that. He might look to stay in the league as an assistant, or he could take some time off and land a media job somewhere.

The NBA recommended against relocation to Seattle and the ESPN report is incorrect in its assertion that the NBA is reconsidering their earlier position on Sacramento’s bid, and also that the NBA is concerned about Sacramento’s arena plan. Sources tell Rotoworld that for all the bluster coming out of Seattle or Seattle-friendly media, Sacramento is still the favorite to keep their team.

The long, drawn-out Seattle saga is finally over -- at least with the Kings, who will remain in Sacramento and likely be sold to a group headed by Vivek Ranadive. Stern said the league will talk to the Maloof family within the next 48 hours about selling the team to Ranadive’s group. Stern also said there are no plans to expand and put a franchise in Seattle at this time and the league would wait to re-open those talks until the next round of TV negotiations. The NBA’s relocation committee previously recommended against relocating the Kings’ move during an April meeting.

Johnson, who should get a statue outside of the Kings’ proposed new arena for all the work he did in keeping the franchise, said the deal with Ranadive is “done” and should be finalized within the next couple days. Of course, George Maloof reportedly said after Johnson’s remarks that there’s no deal at this time. The Maloof family also made waves in the last 24 hours about the franchise being worth more than what Ranadive’s group is offering based on the last-minute offers from Chris Hansen’s group. The bottom line is that after Wednesday’s BOG vote, the Kings are nearly a lock to be sold from the Maloofs to Ranadive and any statement to the contrary by the Maloofs at this point is simply posturing. Make sure to follow Rotoworld’s Aaron Bruski as this saga inches toward a close.

Ranadive wants to meet with current coach Keith Smart, but it’s been reported that Smart is expected to be shown the door. GM Geoff Petrie’s contract expires at the end of June, and that is not expected to be renewed. The Kings could have a totally different look entering next season.

Petrie’s departure from the franchise is imminent, and the writing has been on the wall for a long time. In addition to Schlenk, Chris Mullin is another candidate expected to draw interest. Mike Malone is reportedly a “leading candidate” to replace Keith Smart as head coach, and although Smart has one year left on his deal, he’s not expected to be retained. Vivek Ranadive is looking to pluck from a familiar Warriors’ tree. USA Today also has reported that Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace will get a look, while R.C. Buford and Troy Weaver are both out of the mix because Buford is not expected to be interested in leaving the Spurs while the Thunder denied the Kings permission to speak to Weaver.

At long last, the Kings have some stability. They’ll stay in Sacramento and will soon have a new coach, possibly Warriors assistant Mike Malone. They’ll also likely replace GM Geoff Petrie and should get a new arena as soon as 2016. The Maloof brothers are mercifully out the of the NBA. The new ownership group includes Ranadive, TIBCO Software chairman, 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov, former Facebook exec Chris Kelly and the Jacobs family of Qualcomm. Cash should not be an issue.

San Antonio Spurs President R.C. Buford, Golden State Warriors assistant general manager Travis Schlenk, and Memphis Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace are in the mix. Former Indiana Pacers general manager David Morway may also receive consideration according to Amick, who adds that this is still an open-ended list. Buford is likely wishful thinking, but the real takeaway here is that the franchise’s arrow is quickly pointing up.

With a new ownership group coming into place and the Kings facing a challenging future, it’s possible Smart’s tenure is over in Sacramento. After multiple player complaints about Smart’s style and the Kings running an offense that resembled a fifth grade AAU team at times this season, we can’t say we’d be surprised to see Smart let go. GM Geoff Petrie is also not expected to be retained, and Mike Malone is reportedly a candidate for the head coach gig.