New Kings GM Scott Perry explains how he will solve Sacramento’s problems
Scott Perry delivered a signature line that should serve him well as he charts a course for a Sacramento Kings organization that has been defined by dysfunction over most of the past 20 years.
“I don’t run from problems,” Perry said. “I run to them. I think that’s a necessary quality you have to have when you come to a situation like this.”
Perry hit all the right notes while embracing the challenge ahead when he was introduced as the team’s new general manager Wednesday at Golden 1 Center.
“I love taking on challenges,” Perry said. “If you’ve followed my career, a lot of the organizations I’ve worked with, when I first came in, they were struggling or non-playoff teams, whatever you want to call it. But by the time I left, the organizations were better.”
Perry was hired to replace former general manager Monte McNair, who agreed to part ways with the organization after the Kings suffered a season-ending loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA play-in tournament. McNair succeeded in leading the Kings to the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference in 2023 – ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons in Sacramento – but he failed to build on that success.
Perry inherits a team that must find a sensible and sustainable way forward following a tumultuous season that resulted in major upheaval following a rare period of stability. The Kings fired coach Mike Brown and traded star point guard De’Aaron Fox while going 40-42 to finish ninth in the West.
“To be successful, you have to have consistency and stability,” Perry said. “People who know me and know my experience know I’m all about stability.”
Perry fielded questions for 30 minutes Wednesday. He said he was happy to be back in Sacramento after briefly serving the organization in 2017. He noted that the Kings need a point guard. He also acknowledged that the team lacks the requisite length and athleticism needed to win in the modern NBA.
Some members of McNair’s staff, including Alvin Gentry, Paul Johnson and Phil Jabour, were seated in the front row along with Perry’s wife, Kim. Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé and interim coach Doug Christie were not present.
Perry was asked multiple times if Ranadivé has given him autonomy to make basketball decisions.
“Vivek owns the team,” Perry said. “I’ve worked with Vivek before and I enjoy a very healthy and positive relationship with him, but make no mistake, he has empowered me to lead this team and make decisions.”
The first decision Perry will make is choosing a head coach. Christie wants the job after leading the Kings to a 27-24 record over the last 51 games of the regular season. Perry spoke highly of Christie and said they’ve had multiple discussions, but he hasn’t decided if Christie will be back next season.
“My phone has incessantly rang for interest in this job, so I’m going to have a few more conversations about this job and hopefully I can come to some sort of resolution within the next week or so,” Perry said.
Perry has 25 years of experience as an NBA executive with the Detroit Pistons, Seattle SuperSonics, Orlando Magic, Kings and New York Knicks. He established relationships with Ranadivé and former general manager Vlade Divac during a brief stint as vice president of basketball operations in 2017, but he left after three months to become general manager of the Knicks.
Perry, 61, was born and raised in Detroit, where he was an all-state basketball player at University of Detroit Jesuit High School in 1981. He played college basketball at Oregon and Wayne State before going into coaching. He served as head coach at University of Detroit Mercy, as an assistant at Michigan and as head coach at Eastern Kentucky.
Perry jumped to the NBA in 2000 when Joe Dumars, then the president of basketball operations for the Pistons, hired him as a front office executive. Perry helped the Pistons reach the Eastern Conference finals six times with two NBA Finals appearances. They won an NBA championship in 2004 with a roster that included Richard Hamilton, Chancey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Wallace.
Perry spent one season as assistant general manager for the SuperSonics in 2007-08. He was part of the front office that drafted Kevin Durant with the No. 2 pick in the 2007 NBA draft.
Perry returned to Detroit as vice president of basketball operations under Dumars from 2008-12.
Orlando hired Perry as vice president and assistant general manager in June 2012. Perry was part of the front office team that drafted Victor Oladipo and Aaron Gordon in 2013, Elfrid Payton in 2014 and Mario Hezonja in 2015.
The Kings brought Perry in as vice president of basketball operations in April 2017. During his brief stay in Sacramento, the Kings selected Fox out of Kentucky with the No. 5 pick in the 2017 NBA draft.
In July 2017, the Knicks hired Perry as general manager, a role he held until 2023. During his time in New York, Perry oversaw the acquisitions of Julius Randle, a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection, and Jalen Brunson, a two-time All-Star who earned All-NBA honors in 2023-24.
The Knicks won a total of 67 games in Perry’s first three seasons as general manager under former team president Scott Mills. Perry helped current Knicks president Leon Rose construct a 2022-23 team that won 47 games and reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2013.
Ranadivé lauded Perry’s experience, player personnel decisions and record of success when the hiring was announced Monday.
“Scott brings a wealth of experience, a sharp basketball mind, and a strong track record of building talented rosters,” Ranadivé said in a press release. “He shares our commitment to developing and sustaining a winning culture, and I am excited to welcome him back to Sacramento.”
This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 12:28 PM.
