Report: Kings part ways with analytics guru Dean Oliver

The Sacramento Kings are shuffling the deck once again.

Sacramento has relieved head of analytics Dean Oliver of his duties, ESPN's Marc Stein reports. The Kings, however, are reportedly searching for a replacement.

Vlade Divac, the team's vice president of basketball operations, had ceased communication with Oliver, also the team's director of player personnel, Sportando reported Sunday morning.

Oliver, who had previously served as director of production analytics at ESPN, was hired by former Kings general manager Pete D'Alessandro prior to the 2014-15 season. D'Alessandro left the team after becoming a lame duck following Kings owner Vivek Ranadive's decision to bring Divac aboard.

With Divac entering the fold as D'Alessandro's successor, Oliver's fate was apparently sealed.

According to the Sportando report, Oliver was told by Divac not to attend NBA summer league, but was seen in Las Vegas alongside the team's coaches.

Oliver's dismissal does not necessarily signify the team's denouncement of the ever-growing phenomenon that is analytics, but rather suggests Divac's intent to build his own staff from scratch, as ESPN's Stein indicates.

Former Kings legend Peja Stojakovic has been linked to potential employment opportunities with his old team as of late. Stojakovic and Divac were teammates for six years with the Kings and also played together on the Serbian national team.