For anyone hoping the Sacramento Kings might soon get a new owner, the answer is no. Vivek Ranadive isn’t going anywhere, and he has made it clear he’s in it for the long-haul, whatever that looks like at this point.
That reality will frustrate plenty of Kings fans and media members who have long wanted someone else running the franchise. Ranadive has worn plenty of the blame for the team’s problems, and there’s been good reason for that. Since his group took control in May 2013, he has been the managing co-owner and chairman, and his reputation has been built around a hands-on style that has rubbed people the wrong way.
He wasn’t new to the NBA when he arrived in Sacramento. Before taking over the Kings, he had been a co-owner and chairman of the Golden State Warriors.
The issue has never been whether he understands the league. It’s been how deeply he inserts himself into everything.
Multiple reports have described Ranadive as someone who wants a say in just about every corner of the operation, including how the team plays. Plenty of observers would call that micromanaging, and the label has stuck for a reason.
Some of the moves connected to that approach haven’t worked out. He was reportedly behind the push to bring in Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, and those decisions are part of the long list of moves that have fallen flat. He has also been accused of bringing in people he has personal connections with, including family members, for roles they may not have been suited to fill.
The one possible shift in the picture is Scott Perry. With Perry pushing the rebuild, some of the concern around Ranadive’s influence has been eased. Perry has gotten the franchise onto a rebuild path, something it has needed for 15 years or more.
That alone is a significant step forward, and it gives the Kings a starting point for becoming remotely relevant again. But it also depends on Ranadive doing the hardest thing of all: stepping back and letting other people do their jobs for an extended stretch.
That’s where the unease comes back in. If the rebuild stalls, it would not be shocking to see Ranadive drift back toward the same micromanaging habits that have defined so much of his tenure.
This is a long, difficult process, and it could still turn into something worthwhile for Sacramento. But if Ranadive can’t stop meddling, the pressure to finally walk away may only grow.
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Kings May Be Headed For A Sabonis Decision Fans Feared
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Maxime Raynauds early development has only added another layer to the discussion, along with the realities of the salary cap. The Kings are weighing more than one possible path, with Sabonis and Zach LaVine both tied into the broader roster picture, and the front office now has to decide whether to keep building around its established core or make a move that reshapes the roster sooner than many fans expected. [Read more 🡒]