Monte McNair Reportedly Out as Kings GM after NBA Play-In Loss to Mavericks
The Sacramento Kings didn't waste time moving on from general manager Monte McNair after their season came to an end with a 120-106 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA play-in tournament.
Per ESPN's Shams Charania, McNair and the Kings agreed to a mutual parting of ways following Wednesday's game.
This is the fourth major change for the organization in less than five months. Head coach Mike Brown was fired on Dec. 27 amid a 13-18 start to the season.
The decision to part ways with Brown played a role in fracturing De'Aaron Fox's relationship with the Kings, resulting in the 27-year-old being traded to the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 3.
Three weeks ago, the Kings lost assistant general manager Wes Wilcox when he took the general manager position for the Utah men's basketball program.
It was just two years ago when Sacramento looked like an emerging franchise in the Western Conference. It finished the 2022-23 season with a 48-34 record and ended its 17-year playoff drought as the No. 3 seed in the West.
Despite losing a competitive seven-game series to the Golden State Warriors in the first round, the Kings were building around a young core of Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray.
Instead of taking steps forward from that playoff berth, they have regressed the past two years. They did finish over .500 in 2023-24 with a 46-36 record, but lost to the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament to determine the No. 8 seed.
This season saw the Kings post their first losing season since 2021-22 (40-42). They did play better under interim head coach Doug Christie with a 27-24 record after he replaced Brown, but the ceiling is still low for the franchise.
McNair, who just wrapped up his fifth season with the Kings, was hired as general manager in September 2020. He received a multiyear contract extension in January 2023, though it's unclear how much time is left on his deal.
The Kings' success during the 2022-23 campaign resulted in McNair being named NBA Executive of the Year. He previously spent 13 years working in the front office for the Houston Rockets under Daryl Morey from 2007 to 2020.
