Just as it seemed the roller coaster of emotions surrounding the hire of Mike Brown as the new head coach of the Sacramento Kings ended, the ride began its second loop.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Kings and General Manager Monte McNair have yet to formally discuss an extension despite the fact that McNair only has one year remaining on his contract, and that lack of commitment from Sacramento’s side apparently turned a lot of potential head coaching candidates off:

That, combined with the Kings’ lack of success for the last 16-plus years, is probably why the pool of candidates was overwhelming. But does McNair’s contract status mean he’s on the chopping block? Not necessarily.

The likely situation is that the Kings are waiting to see how this upcoming season goes. With a decent roster that can be improved this off season and a new head coach to guide them, Sacramento is looking to end their unwanted hiatus from the playoffs expeditiously. If the Kings are unable to crack into at least the play-in tournament next year it might be the end of the McNair era in Sacramento.

Since taking over the role of GM back in 2020, McNair’s best moves have been in the draft by selecting Tyrese Haliburton and Davion mitchell. Last season he also made the biggest trade in years for Sacramento with the acquisition of Domantas Sabonis. This year is now his time to finally make the jump in the standings. If he doesn’t, Sacramento will move on.