Kings GM Monte McNair ‘loves’ Sacramento, but he’s focused on winning — not contract talks
Kings general manager Monte McNair wants to stay in Sacramento to continue the rescue mission he started two years ago, but he says he is more focused on winning than contract talks with team owner Vivek Ranadive.
McNair briefly addressed his uncertain future in conversations with The Sacramento Bee before Wednesday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks and again after Friday’s impressive victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. McNair declined to say if Ranadive has initiated discussions regarding a contract extension, but he made it clear he wants to remain in Sacramento.
“I’ll just say my family loves it in Sacramento and we’re very happy with how things are going,” said McNair, who is in the final year of a three-year contract with the Kings. “We’re just focused on winning and continuing to keep this thing growing.”
The Kings (14-11) are exceeding expectations after 16 consecutive losing seasons, the longest playoff drought in NBA history and the longest active streak in North American professional sports. They are fifth in the Western Conference as they prepare to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center in the third game of a six-game road trip.
McNair has almost completely reconstructed Sacramento’s roster with a series of smart, savvy moves since he was hired to replace former general manager Vlade Divac in September 2020. The only players who remain are point guard De’Aaron Fox, forward Harrison Barnes and center Richaun Holmes.
McNair made a bold move to balance his roster in February when he traded Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to the Indiana Pacers in the deal that brought two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento. McNair kept working to add shooting over the summer, hiring coach Mike Brown, drafting Keegan Murray, acquiring Kevin Huerter in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks and signing Malik Monk as a free agent.
The Kings now have a collection of complementary talent with several players of similar ages, including Fox (24), Davion Mitchell (24), Huerter (24), Monk (24), Murray (22) and Sabonis (26), entering the prime of their careers on similar timelines.
Sacramento currently ranks sixth in the NBA in offensive rating (115.0) and 16th in defensive rating (112.0). The Kings are trending up over the last 15 games, ranking sixth in offensive rating (115.9) and eighth in defensive rating (.110.4).
The Kings are second in the NBA in scoring (118.0) and true shooting percentage (.604); fourth in field-goal percentage (.490); fifth in effective field-goal percentage (.567); and sixth in assists (27.2), pace (102.17) and net rating (+2.9).
Ranadive discussed McNair’s contract status in an interview with The Bee in September. Ranadive was asked if the two sides had engaged in contract talks.
“Everyone’s just been heads down, focused on the season, so we’re just really focused on this season,” Ranadive said.
Ranadive went on to praise McNair and assistant general manager Wes Wilcox for their work in Sacramento, but Ranadive said he wanted to see results.
“I think Monte, Wes, the whole front office, the coaches they hired, the coaching staff, the process they went through, the trades they made, the rookie they picked, I’m very pleased with everything that’s happened,” Ranadive said. “I think right now the focus is: Let’s win.”
