Sacramento Kings General Manager Monte McNair spoke to the for the first time since the team fired Mike Brown. It also is the first time since the De’Aaron Fox trade.
The media peppered McNair with questions about both moves.
Here are some excerpts.
On trading Fox:
“On De’Aaron, I think incredible player. At the same time, we’ve offered multiple extensions, that’s been public. … But for us, it became clear that there was no pathway there for a long-term agreement.”
“I think any time a player of that caliber you get closer to the end of the contract, we’ve offered extensions as we talked about. Any time there’s a transaction window, we revisit, How do we handle this? I think at this point with a year and a half left, we decided with the public and private indications we were getting that this was the time to at least explore the market. At the same time, I think we got a bit of a return we’re excited about, so that’s why we pulled the trigger.”
“The season hasn’t gone as we all hoped. That’s part of it. At the same time, I think we did explore ways to have De’Aaron stay here, and it was made clear that wasn’t going to happen so we moved on.”
On the return the Kings got for trading Fox:
“I would say certainly any time a player of that caliber is in the market and also the way that it was very public, that made for a unique market. But I also think our group did a great job of cultivating a market to ultimately get what we wanted in return. We were not going to settle for less than we wanted. So when we got that, we made the deal.”
“This is one of the first times in my career that I’ve had plus first-round picks, and we got some very high-value picks in return in addition to a really good player. So that’s just going to give us more opportunities down the road to continue to improve this team and get where we want to go.”
On the firing of Mike Brown:
On the reasoning for firing Brown:
“We had, I think, high expectations coming into this season for a variety of reasons. We did start off with some success, but heading into December started hitting a skid. Then I think ultimately, as we’re trying to figure ways to turn the season around, a lot of different things were discussed. But ultimately, the five-game losing streak at home and the Detroit loss the next day as we talked through it, we felt we had a season that could be better. That was the choice we made at that time.”
Why it took so long for him to speak to the media since firing Brown:
“We’re trying to turn our season around. We’re a month out from the trade deadline, and we’ve got to figure out now with an interim coach how we’re going to go turn this thing around. That was the primary focus. I knew I’d come up here and speak to you guys at some point, but it was all hands on deck for that. So far, we’ve gotten ourselves back into the mix. I think we obviously have some more work to do there. … “We were focused on the team at that point and turning the season around. At that time, that was what we were focused on.”
On if Fox was consulted about firing Brown:
“De’Aaron had nothing to do with the decision on the coaching change, no player did. That was the decision that I made, that the organization, as we discussed, obviously came to, but no players, no.”
He clarified the decision to fire Brown was his decision.
On hiring Doug Christie:
“Obviously, we have a lot of qualified coaches on our staff, but Doug, in particular, his not just being a former player, but a former Sacramento King and his connection to us as an organization. I think a lot of what we’ve seen from Doug so far is what we hoped for in just his ability to lead these guys and give a different perspective. He had that unique combination. I think that was ultimately the deciding factor.”
So, to recap:
- McNair said firing Brown was his decision and came as a result of a disappointing December stretch – a five-game home losing streak and a bad loss to the Detroit Pistons.
- McNair pointed to failed contract extension negotiations as the reason for the Fox trade.
- He likes the return the Kings got for Fox. (Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first round picks (2025 CHA lottery-protected, 2027 SAS, 2031 MIN), three second round picks (2025 CHI, 2028 DEN, 2028 Kings pick back)
- Christie was chosen as interim head coach partly due to his history as a former Kings player.
- McNair says the delayed media response to firing Brown was due to him working on salvaging the season.
Watch to full press conference here:
Let’s hear it. What are your thoughts on McNair’s comments?
His answers arent much better than “I had a better offer 2 days ago”
We have a super team, all Bull
Ninjas move in silence.
I call bullshit here. It was an honest answer. Fox was tired of the franchise and was ready to go. We sent him away. We got a “fair” return. Like Luka do you really think Fox is a championship #1A? Can’t keep someone here who doesn’t want to be here. I would have loved to see DeAaron come out and say Sac Kings for life, he didn’t, he’s out.
Yep. The Bulls trade was basically a salary dump + their own 1st back. That’s how desperate they were to get rid of Zach to start their rebuild. We traded off Fox, who had way more positive value….for a salary dump….and Monte is apparently excited about that. Spurs came at us with picks. It’s possible we could have just traded for Zach without even trading Fox off, because of how desperate the Bulls looked in this trade. This trade was pure desperation to get something back, Monte knew it, everyone else smelled it. Monte needs to be fired. He turned this team into the Bulls, who are in full rebuild mode now. I’m sick of this organization.
He’s sitting down, so I won’t say that I see a dead man walking.
But LaVine saved this media day for Monte.
That was rough.
He kinda buckled when Janes Ham asked about how he has been addressing the ongoing length and athleticism issue.
he had no acceptable response for shitting the bed consistently
He seemed a combination of flustered, clueless and angry – a terrible look
That’s the appearance of a guy having to take a fall for his boss and lie about it. And he clearly ain’t happy about either one.
I wouldn’t be either. But that seems to be the price you pay for taking a job with the Kings.
I can buy most of his answers but the one about why he took so long to speak to the press.
Monte is definitely not great at doing press conferences, in general.
First of all, kudos to the journalists in attendance: they asked most of the questions they needed to ask.
Secondly, awful press conference by McNair. He knew the shit storm that was coming and didn’t do anything to make Kings fans feel positive? Short and very unsatisfying answers, showing no confidence whatsoever, and really just making it look like he didn’t want to be there and didn’t care. Woeful stuff.
He was voluntold to go out there.
Here’s Montes notes for the press conference:
Vivek wants to hit on these key talking points:
1) i (monte) made the decision to fire MB
2) Firing MB was my (monte) decision
The answer about Christie being picked for HC because of his history as a Kings player just screams Vivekery.
The part at the end of his Fox answer about “the season hasn’t gone as well as we’d hope” indicates the FO suspected what many here did: Fox was not raising the team’s level of play the way a franchise/max player should.
The explanation of why he took so long to speak to the media is just stupid and nobody is buying it.
Yikes… Not great! I mean, we all know this organization is a mess but this sure doesn’t inspire ANY confidence in anything. It’s not surprising but it makes you realize we’re probably toast. Puttering along as a .500 team seems to be the long term goal for these folks which is just baffling and stupid.
The answer about why there wasn’t a press conference post Mike Brown firing is just laughable. “We were trying to turn our season around”??? Maybe like, trading for a wing or another big would help with that! Also, yeah, if you have to fire your coach, then you’ve got to do more work to figure out how to fix it! One great thing to do, is build a competent roster so your team doesn’t start out the season so terribly! What a novel idea!
I find it funny that he didn’t seem to have to time to do a presser over the past 40+ days in regards to the firing of Brown, because you know…basketball reasons Monte, however, now has time for 2 pressers 24 freaking hours before the trade deadline. WTF?
The difference is that they’re not trying to turn the team around right now… /s
He’s still turning the team around…and around… and around…otherwise known as “spinning”
&ct=g
After possession, after possession, after possession
Right? What a bizarre excuse because it’s so obviously BS.
Pretty easy answer, I would think: “It wouldn’t be fair to blame the team’s underperformance on Mike Brown, but sometimes you can tell when a new voice is needed.”
Of course, the automatic follow-up question is “is it possible a new voice was needed higher up?”.
Brown was losing. Fox had 7 years. They made parole.
Now let’s move on and win some games please.
If I´m Zach Lavine, this makes me so proud I probably tattoo it on my forehead.
BOOM
Fuck yeah! Guess that answers the question of whether Cissoko is tradeable a second time.
Valanciunas is certainly better than our backup options but I’m not sure he really solves any of our bigger issues of defense and shooting. But I don’t know maybe that’s just me.
He’s averaging nice ppg/rpg numbers in twenty minutes per game, and is a 20/10 guy per 36. He won’t be playing anything like that much, of course, but he has been productive. He also shoots 90% from the line, not that it will matter because he plays for the Kings now.
Remember when he bravely pulled Metu down from the rim, breaking his wrist? I hope someone who was on the roster then welcomes Valanciunas with a swift kick to the balls for that.
Is there anyone left from that roster?
Len, I believe.
Nope, Fox was the last one!
I guess McNair can do it.
Andy, I just replied to Adam about his ESPN profile before reading your post. Didn’t mean to jump the shark.
You’re spot on. He is in shape to play and his stats are prodoctive. I want to see Jones play next to him and watch those two big fellas box out and protect the paint when they are on rotation. Hopefully there is a 4 in this final 20 hours of trading.
This all opened up, I think, as a result of the Middleton trade and the Wizards being near the apron. Nice job by Monte to seize upon an unrelated trade to bolster the Kings.
Metu could come back on a ten day to deliver the groin shot. He’d have it coming.
He may just be able to allow the Kings to rest Sabonis a few more minutes per game. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the Kings suck ass when Domas sits.
He is a vast upgrade over Len. Lyles can now play the 4 exclusively, as needed.
For sure.
Adam, reading the “19 second round Wizard picks” link was an out-loud chuckle at my work desk sitting alone in my office. Thank you!
Valanciunas minutes on his ESPN profile tend to support that he is in shape to play some minutes.
Gary Geroud said in awe last time the Kings played the Wizards “Goodness Valanciunas is a massive mountain of a man”. As we all know that is a fact.
The matchups against other teams 5’s, say for example, Eddy, or Zubac, just got a little bit better.
Agreed.
He and Domas can play together . Played together in International play . Both shoot 3’s OK. A 35% for career . They should play him like B Lopez . Center on D and floor spacer on Offense and more Zone Defense. .. Not the answer but an upgrade .
Not bad as a backup, but I think is name is certainly better than his production at this stage of his career.
He’s about to turn 33 and has had declining impact stats since 2021. He’s had negative on/off numbers the last 3 seasons, which sometimes can just mean you are a starter for a bad team or are backing up a very good player, but Val has been coming off the bench this year and has been rotating at center with Sarr and Bagley.
And ironically, while these number all come with a huge grain of salt, Val’s BPM = (0.2 BPM) has actually been driven by his offense (OBPM = 0.9, DBPM = -0.7). Not a surprise for someone that lateral speed would decline with age and he’s becoming more of a situational player.
So nice acquisition for depth and the right matchups. But certainly not the Val of old.
To be fair, if he was the Val of old, then he wouldn’t be the bench big for the Kings.
Yes!!!!
The Wiz front office swear they saw a rule in the new CBA that allows teams to trade 10 second round picks into the league offices for 1 lottery pick. Who wants to tell them?
AnybodyButBagley would love to be a fan of their upcoming G League team!
And it may or may not be true that the Kings have provided 14 of those 2nd round picks to the Wizards…
Eagerly awaiting the “McNair sucks ass” hot takes about this.
In everything, there is a downside. I insist that you find it, and make a mountain of it.
LOL, the roster still stands at 13 so more is bound to come!!
Still some time left, but if that’s the last of it, bring up the most productive guy from Stockton, and leave a space open in case someone gets waived.
Solid.
It helps with the non-Domas minutes, which was needed badly. Now find a way to get a wing defender to help Keegan and Keon.
Amen, Hobby.
This will make Jerry Reynolds happy. Congrats Jerry!
Just came here to say we need a banner up stat! Just got Jonas V for 2 2nd rounders and Cissoko.
Farmer, did your info say which second rounders?
The Charlotte 2d that is a protected first will be a high second round pick on a non-guaranteed contract. Has some appeal in terms of a high second rounder.
I have not seen any details yet on which 2nd rounders. I’d assume its not the 1st rounder that will convey to 2 2nds because as of now it is still a 1st round pick that has yet to convey as 2 2nds.
It’s the Denver 2028 2nd rounder and our own 2029 2nd rounder.
Thank you!
Nove. Kept the high Charlotte 2d rounder.
Jonas Valanciunas traded to Kings for Siddy and two 2d rounders.
Valanciunas incoming!
and we got him for basically NOTHING.
So now it’s LaVine and JV, 2 1sts and 3 2nds for Fox
Yep, while getting out from under the Huerter contract. Get us a PF, Monte, and now we’re cooking with gas!
I’m gonna laugh if Monte now flips Kings longest tenured player, Len, to the Lakers, since they missed out on JV, and get a 3/4 out of the deal.
That’s a legit possibility.
Vanderbilt?
That’s my hope.
He could be the next KZ Okpala! j/k
Len for Cam Reddish
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6477/jonas-valanciunas
Valanciunas profile from ESPN.
Nove!
Nove indeed!
Wrapping up my own thoughts.
Fox had a terrible last run with the organization this season. Even if the team wasn’t a contender, he was setup to shine and only asserted himself when the talent wasn’t around. His 4 point play give away was the final nail that got Mike Brown fired. You could see his effort slink away as he and his reps realized he was not going to qualify for a supermax. I’m not a fan of his right now with SA request which dented his trade value. I get it, I’d do it, but his entire ’24 campaign here was a downer.
Monty gets heat for a lot of his actions (or inactions). You can point the finger at each individual move, it’s true. Still overall the roster is better since he has been here. That is pretty much the theme behind every move, he won’t pull the trigger unless it’s an improvement. The problem has been the wing trade market. Probably cheaper to get Fox in a trade than the league average small forward. Still don’t have answer for this.
Facts. But Kings fans will still find reasons to shred Monte. He doesn’t necessarily have to win every trade but he seems to keep the big picture in mind.
As much as I’m bummed with Fox this season, I think he did the Kings a favor by not signing that extension. They were so imbalanced and really the only way to fix it would have been to move a big name.
If you think about the totality of the Fox trade, we lost Fox but also unloaded Huerter’s remaining $17 / $18M years. In return, we got LaVine, Valanciunas, 2 FRPs and 3 SRPs. A little something for the now and a little something for the future. I don’t think we fleeced anyone and I don’t think we got fleeced, either. It was a fairly straight up trade, imo. But I had kind of soured on Fox and didn’t think he was worth the extension he would have commanded.
Much respect to Kings media, particularly James Ham, who asked the right questions and got the expected non-answers. I don’t feel the least bid bad for Monte; that’s what the money is for, and accountability for 2 seasons of treading water while the whole West has improved is sorely needed.
On a positive note, I like the Jonas trade. Nice job Monte.
My nits to pick:
You were not too busy to hold a presser re: Brown, and your failure to do so cast one of your franchise cornerstones into a bad light. Poor asset management for what would not have taken that much of your time.
Fox had 49m reasons not to sign the extension (the Supermax). To cast this as Fox’s refusal to sign and therefore refuse to stay in Sac. is a false, self-serving, face-saving narrative.
On the other hand, after watching this presser, I see why Monte does not like to do them. He (or at least his reasoning) sucks.
Nice vest, though.
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