The Sacramento Kings and general manager Monte McNair reached a mutual agreement to part ways following Wednesday night’s 120-106 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the No. 9 against No. 10 play-in tournament game.
Kings Ended A 16-Year Playoff Drought Under Monte McNair
McNair has been with the Kings since September 2020, having previously spent 13 years in the Houston Rockets organization. He won NBA executive of the year in 2023 after the Kings finished 48-34 (.585) and ended an NBA record 16-year playoff drought.
The Sacramento Kings and general manager Monte McNair are mutually parting ways, sources tell ESPN. McNair spent five seasons running the Kings, winning NBA executive of the year in 2023 when Sacramento went 48-34 and snapped a record 16-year drought to make the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/off3QWsZnU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 17, 2025
The Kings have won 40 or more games in three straight seasons under McNair. Before this streak, they had not won 40 games in any season since 2005-06.
McNair’s departure comes three weeks after assistant GM Wes Wilcox left to become general manager of the University of Utah’s men’s basketball team. Wilcox also spent five seasons in Sacramento’s front office.
Kings Fired Head Coach Mike Brown In December
In December, the Kings also fired head coach Mike Brown less than halfway through his third season with the team and during a five-game losing streak.
Brown won Coach of the Year in his first season in Sacramento in 2022-23, leading the Kings to a No. 1 seed before losing in seven games to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.
The Ohio native had received all 100 votes and became the first coach in NBA history to win the award by a unanimous vote.
Brown amassed a 107-88 (.458) record in 2½ seasons in Sacramento, with a winning record in both of his full seasons. Rick Adelman is the only other coach to post a winning record in a full season since the Kings moved to Sacramento.
Series Of Moves Derailed Sacramento’s Season
Assistant Doug Christie was promoted to interim head coach after Brown’s firing. However, the Kings went 27-24 (.529) under Christie and failed to secure a top-six seed in the Western Conference.
The offseason acquisition of DeMar DeRozan proved to be disappointing, and the midseason trade of De’Aaron Fox had reportedly divided the locker room.
Fox was traded to the San Antonio Spurs after informing the Kings he would not sign a contract extension.
In other news, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reports that former Denver Nuggets GM Calvin Booth is viewed by NBA insiders as a potential candidate to replace McNair.
Booth helped construct the Nuggets’ 2023 championship roster.
