Sacramento Kings part ways with Monte McNair, hire Scott Perry as new GM

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Wednesday night didn’t exactly go as planned. The Sacramento Kings played host to the tenth seeded Dallas Mavericks needing a win to advance to the second round of the play-in tournament. After a solid first quarter showing, the Kings let go of the rope in the second quarter, allowing the Mavericks to outscore them 44-19. Sacramento never recovered.

The final score of 120-106 wasn’t representative of the game that unfolded. The Kings trailed by as many as 26 during the contest and never cut the lead to single digits in the second half. It was a drubbing in front of a sold out Golden 1 Center crowd that booed their team multiple times during the night.

In Sacramento, we are trained to expect the unexpected. Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and interim head coach Doug Christie all sat at the podium and answered questions. The emotions were raw with all three. This was all to be expected. 

Once the podium process was over, the media was allowed in the locker room for another round of interviews. Keon Ellis spoke for a few minutes. LaVine, Domantas Sabonis and Devin Carter were getting dressed when Jonas Valanciunas strolled. While he walked toward his locker, an alert went out on social media from Sam Amick of The Athletic that general manager Monte McNair and the Kings had mutually agreed to part ways.

The news quickly spread to the players, who sat stunned as media members worked to confirm the story. I took a few steps outside the locker room and within seconds had a source verify the news. Moments later team security entered the locker room, rounded up the players still hanging out, and took the trio to an impromptu meeting in the adjacent team headquarters. 

McNair leaving his post wasn’t unexpected, after a very disappointing end to a very disappointing season. But the manner and timing of his departure was jarring, even for someone who has covered the Kings’ franchise for the last 15 seasons and seen two owners, ten head coaches and now four front office groups come and go.

McNair’s departure ends the most successful run by a Kings front office since the glory years of Sacramento basketball from 1998-2006 under Geoff Petrie. His demise began last summer when according to sources, a battle started behind the scenes as to whether the team should retain head coach Mike Brown. 

Brown signed a three-year, $25.5 million extension, but the process was slow and bitter, with negotiations breaking off at one point before eventually getting finalized. This was a win for McNair initially, but when Brown was relieved of his duties 31 games into the season, the general manager’s position with ownership was on thin ice. 

Not only did ownership have to budget for two head coaches for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons, but the national narrative of the Kings’ dysfunction climbed back into the spotlight. Extending a head coach who had snapped a 16-year playoff drought and won NBA Coach of the Year in his first season with the club and then dispatching him six months into a new contract extension was just one more example of the Kings’ inability to find and embrace success.

Brown’s departure set in motion a season of complete chaos. Star point guard De’Aaron Fox made it clear that he would prefer to play elsewhere. Fox got his wishes on Feb. 3 when McNair and assistant general manager Wes Wilcox traded him to San Antonio in a three team trade that landed LaVine in Sacramento. 

Chairman Vivek Ranadivé signed off on an offer sheet for LaVine that the Bulls matched in July of 2018. According to league sources, Ranadivé also pushed McNair to acquire LaVine last season to pair with Fox, but his monster contract was a deterrent and the veteran shooting guard injured his foot and missed the final four months of the season.

In his last months on the job, McNair appeared to lose battles on multiple fronts, including firing Brown, trading Fox and acquiring LaVine. When Wilcox left for a GM job at the University of Utah in late March, McNair lost his running mate and the writing was on the wall. 

On Thursday morning, the Kings released the following quote from Ranadivé:

“I want to sincerely thank Monte for his leadership and the invaluable contributions he made during his time in Sacramento. He helped build a strong foundation for continued success here, and we wish him and his family all the best in their future endeavors.”

McNair leaves the Kings with a 195-205 record as the Kings’ front man. He assembled the team that snapped the drought and had his team in back-to-back play-in tournaments, but it clearly wasn’t enough. We will break down some of the minutiae of his tenure in the coming weeks, but for now, the McNair era should be looked at as a success in Sacramento, compared to the many others that failed. 

On Thursday afternoon, McNair sent out a statement of his own through X:

“Five years ago, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime. I’ll always be grateful to Vivek and the entire Kings organization for taking a chance on me.

The Beam Team brought so much joy to so many. Thank you to the players, coaches, and staff who played such a vital role in creating those special moments and memories.

To the Sacramento community—thank you for welcoming and embracing me and my family. We arrived as a family of four and leave as a family of six. As a California kid, this truly felt like a dream homecoming.

To Kings fans—you’re simply the best. I’ll never forget the deafening roar before Game 1 or the countless other unforgettable moments we shared. There will be many more beams in the Kings’ future.”

LTB, Monte

One door closes, another opens

In a shocking turn of events, the Kings parted ways with Monte McNair on Wednesday night and by Thursday morning, they already hired a new front office lead. According to a league source, Scott Perry will take over as the new general manager for the Kings, beginning immediately. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first with the news.

Perry, 61, is a familiar face in Sacramento. For a brief stint back in 2017, Perry joined the Kings’ front office as an assistant general manager under Vlade Divac. Perry’s time with the Kings was cut short when three months into his tenure, the general manager job for the New York Knicks, a dream job for Perry, came open. 

In his limited time in Sacramento, Perry made an instant impact as a voice of reason and stabilizing force. Known for his communication skills and deep ties across the league, Perry’s departure is one of those “what if” moments for the Kings.

Perry was a perfect compliment to Divac and assistant GM Peja Stojakovic. His experience level brought a calm to the organization as they approached the 2017 NBA Draft and free agency period. In his lone draft class with the team, Perry was part of the front office that selected a group of blue chippers in De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson, Harry Giles and Frank Mason. 

The Kings also added Bogdan Bogdanovic from the Turkish league in the 2017 offseason, as well as the free agent signings of Vince Carter, Zach Randolph and George Hill. Three of the four draft picks fizzled out and the Hill signing never had the impact that many expected, but the aggressive approach and ability to get veterans to sign free agent deals was a new wrinkle in Sacramento.

The 2017-18 season was a true rebuild year for the Kings. Not only did they have five rookies on the roster, but they also had four second year players in Buddy Hield, Skal Labissiere, Malachi Richardson and Georgios Pappagiannis. Sacramento posted a 27-55 record on the season under head coach Dave Joerger and a 39-43 record the next season. 

Perry’s NBA career began with the Detroit Pistons under Joe Dumars in 2000. He’s spent time with the Seattle Supersonics, Orlando Magic and most recently with the New York Knicks. 

What comes next

Thursday was a dramatic day filled with change and player exit interviews. We’ll have more on exit interviews in the coming days, but the biggest takeaway may have been the support of the players for interim head coach Doug Christie.

Christie, who posted a 27-24 record after taking over for Brown, is a favorite of ownership and upper management. He coached under extreme circumstances, taking over a team in turmoil, watching the franchise’s star player in Fox get traded and then battling through injuries to key players down the stretch.

If Christie is given the full time job, he will need a strong supporting staff of NBA assistants, preferably one or two with head coaching experience. There are a few holdovers from Brown’s staff that could be considered, but Christie should be given a blank check to go out and hire his own staff. 

If Christie isn’t retained, expect another coaching search. The coaching market is packed with high end talent this summer, including Taylor Jenkins, Mike Budenholzer and former Kings head coach Michael Malone. Whether the Kings could land any of these other coaches is unknown, but there are plenty of available front line options if they choose a new route.