Report: Kings will hire Rockets’ Monte McNair as new head of basketball operations
The Kings have reportedly made their move in the search for a new head of basketball operations, hiring Houston Rockets assistant general manager Monte McNair to lead their front office, sources told The Athletic on Wednesday.
The news came amid growing speculation the Kings would hire Minnesota Timberwolves executive vice president of basketball operations Sachin Gupta, but McNair was one of three finalists for the job along with Gupta and former Atlanta Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox.
McNair will replace Vlade Divac, who resigned in August after five seasons as general manager and president of basketball operations. He will report directly to Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé.
McNair, a native of Oak Park in Ventura County, and Gupta are disciples of Sam Hinkie and Daryl Morey. Both are regarded as leaders in the area of basketball analytics.
McNair played football at Princeton, where he majored in computer science. Listed as a 6-foot-1 wide receiver, McNair had four catches for 109 yards during the 2004 season, including a 31-yard touchdown reception against Harvard — the only touchdown catch of his career.
McNair worked as a researcher for STATS LLC before joining the Rockets as an analyst in 2007, where he helped propel one of the most data-driven front offices in basketball. Morey hired Gupta when he was named general manager of the Rockets in 2006 and added McNair to the staff a year later. The three of them worked with Hinkie until Hinkie left Houston to become the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013.
McNair was named director of basketball operations in Houston in 2013, transitioned to vice president of basketball operations in 2015 and was promoted to assistant general manager in October 2018. In addition to his analytics work for the Rockets organization, McNair has been involved in all aspects of player evaluation, including trades, free agency and the draft.
“Monte has been absolutely critical to the success of the Rockets over his long tenure,” Morey said on the team’s website. “His unique combination of analytical skills and ability to work with our coaching staff was a key driver in our record-breaking season last year.”
Kings choose McNair
Gupta was believed to be Sacramento’s leading candidate for the past week. There was increasing speculation in NBA circles late Tuesday and early Wednesday the Kings would go with Gupta.
KHTK reported Tuesday the Kings were showing strong movement toward hiring Gupta as head of basketball operations and McNair as general manager, but a league source told The Sacramento Bee no decision had been made and other scenarios were still possible.
Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth had an informal discussion with Ranadivé on Sunday, but he withdrew his name from consideration after discussing the timing with his family, sources told The Bee. Wilcox interviewed with the Kings on Monday, a source said.
A team source told The Bee the person the Kings hire to lead the front office will report directly to Ranadivé and will have the power to hire his top assistant. In addition to that task, McNair will have to prepare for the NBA Draft, which has been moved back from Oct. 16 to Nov. 18. The Kings hold the No. 12 pick in the opening round of the draft. They also have the No. 35, No. 43 and No. 52 picks in the second round.
McNair will also have a number of other personnel decisions to make. Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox is eligible for a max extension, guard Bogdan Bogdanovic will be a restricted free agent and forward Nemanja Bjelica’s $7.15 million contract will become guaranteed if he is not waived before the start of free agency. McNair may also have to decide what to do with guard Buddy Hield, who signed a four-year, $86 million extension in October but has been unhappy since coach Luke Walton moved him into a backup role.
Walton just completed his first season with the Kings after being hired by Divac in April 2019. During the search process, sources told The Bee Walton’s job was safe and he would coach the 2020-21 season.
Sacramento’s search process
The Kings hired McNair a month after retaining the services of Sportsology CEO Mike Forde, who helped the team carry out their search. Forde’s executive search firm has previously worked with the New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers and San Francisco 49ers.
Forde’s executive search firm helped the Kings formulate a list of candidates that included McNair, Gupta, Wilcox, Booth, New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon and Miami Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon. Langdon and Simon withdrew last week. Sources indicated as early as Friday that Booth would withdraw as well.
Ranadivé and his son, Aneel Ranadivé, conducted initial interviews with McNair, Gupta and Wilcox. The Athletic reported Kings interim vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars participated in in-person interviews with finalists and will remain with the team as an adviser.
This story was originally published September 16, 2020 at 5:58 PM.