Sunday Musings: Monte McNair extension rumors swirl, trade season begins

Welcome to The Kings Beat, a subscriber based independent news source with more than a decade of experience covering the Sacramento Kings as credentialed media. Please consider supporting independent content, such as this, with a premium subscription.

At 16-12, the Kings are fresh off a 3-3 road trip that included five games against teams currently in the Eastern Conference top 10. They’ve won two in a row and are showing a grit and resilience that has been lacking for the last decade and a half.

Sacramento is about to play host for a massive stretch of games at Golden 1 Center beginning Monday night when they host the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets have lost seven straight games and currently have the worst record in the NBA at 7-22.

The Kings will finish the month of December with six straight at home and they are set to play 15 of their next 19 games at David J. Stern Walk where they currently have an 8-4 record this season.

Monday’s game against the Hornets marks the third time this season the Kings have attempted to go five games over .500. Shockingly, the last time Sacramento moved five games over the .500 mark came at the end of the 2005-06 season when they won the final three games of the season to finish the year at 44-38.

Below is a look at the boxscore from the last time the Kings made it to five games over:

Five games over .500 isn’t some magical number, but it speaks volumes about what this franchise is up against as it tries to defy their historically bad 16-year run. Mike Brown has his squad playing a fun brand of basketball and for the first time in many years, the team is connecting with the fanbase in a tangible way.

There is excitement in Sacramento heading into the holiday season, which just hasn’t been the case for a very long time.

Extension on the horizon?

Kings general manager Monte McNair, who is an impending free agent this summer, has some work to do with the current roster. There have been rumors swirling around Sacramento over the last two weeks that McNair may be on the verge of an extension with the Kings.

Subscribe to Premium Membership to read the rest.