SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento Kings and general manager Monte McNair have agreed to part ways, two years after McNair helped end the longest playoff drought in NBA history.
The two sides reached the decision shortly after the Kings’ season ended Wednesday night with a 120-106 loss to Dallas in the play-in tournament and the team announced it on Wednesday.
"I want to sincerely thank Monte for his leadership and the invaluable contributions he made during his time in Sacramento,” owner Vivek Ranadivé said in a statement. “He helped build a strong foundation for continued success here, and we wish him and his family all the best in their future endeavors.”
Ranadivé immediately found a replacement, hiring former New York Knicks general manager Scott Perry for the role, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because a deal hadn't been announced. Perry spent three months in the Kings' front office in 2017 before being hired by the Knicks.
McNair was hired by Sacramento before the start of the 2020-21 season and helped put together the team that ended a 16-season playoff drought in 2023 when it went 48-34 to finish third in the Western Conference. McNair won NBA Executive of the Year in 2022-23.
The Kings lost a first-round series to the Golden State Warriors in seven games that season and weren’t able to make it back to the playoffs the past two seasons, losing in the Play-In Tournament each season.
McNair said in a statement on social media that he was grateful that Ranadivé gave him “the opportunity of a lifetime.”
“The Beam Team brought so much joy to so many,” he said. “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.”
Sacramento won at least 40 games in each of the past three seasons after failing to do that even once in the previous 16 seasons but the Kings weren’t able to take the next step to be a contender in the Western Conference.
This past season was a big step back as the team fired coach Mike Brown in December, traded star De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio in February and finished in ninth place in the conference with a 40-42 record.
It bottomed out with the blowout loss at home to the Mavericks on Wednesday night and then the quick change was made at GM.
The Kings had a 195-205 record with McNair in charge. Under his leadership, Sacramento made a key trade in 2022 to acquire star center Domantas Sabonis from Indiana for Tyrese Haliburton, signed Malik Monk as a free agent, drafted Keegan Murray and made the three-team trade this season that sent Fox to San Antonio and sent Zach LaVine to Sacramento.
Sacramento also must make a decision soon on whether to bring back interim coach Doug Christie, who went 27-24 in the regular season after taking over for Brown.
Christie said before the news about McNair became public that he had been given no indication of his job status.
“But this is where I want to be,” he said. “You guys know that. I need to finish what I started.”
The new general manager will be the fifth lead executive since owner Vivek Ranadive took over the team in 2013. The Kings have gone through nine coaches in that span — including interims — and have the fifth worst record in the NBA.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
