Saagar Sari, who has served as the personnel scouting director for the Minnesota Timberwolves since 2019, is joining the Sacramento Kings in a similar capacity, as first reported Wednesday by Timberwolves insider and reporter for SKOR North Darren Wolfson. Kings general manager Monte McNair confirmed the hire at his first press conference of the season on Friday.

Sarin has experience working with McNair, back when both were in Houston working under Daryl Morey. Houston was Sarin’s first NBA role and he worked as a video coordinator and player personnel assistant.

Prior to coming to the NBA, Sarin was a graduate assistant for the USC basketball team, his alma mater, where he graduated with a degree in Business Analytics in 2016.

The Timberwolves organization has been embroiled in a scandal over the last few days as they fired the team’s head of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, just days before the start of training camp. Rosas reportedly created a “toxic workplace culture,” and had a consensual intimate relationship with another team employee.

Minnesota elevated Sachin Gupta to Rosas’ former role as head of basketball operations. Gupta is a familiar name to Kings fans as he was one of the final candidates vying for the Kings’ general manager role. Gupta, like McNair, previously worked in the Rockets front office under Morey.

The news of Sarin heading to Sacramento came out the same day as all the Timberwolves drama however, it’s unclear whether the addition of Sarin is related to Rosas’s dismissal. 

Sarin’s addition continues Monte McNair’s analytical approach towards building up the Kings' organization.