The Sacramento Kings wasted no time making a leadership change after losing their play-in game Wednesday.
General manager Monte McNair and the Kings mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced Thursday.
"I want to sincerely thank Monte for his leadership and the invaluable contributions he made during his time in Sacramento," Kings owner Vivek Ranadive said in a statement, according to ESPN 1320's James Ham. "He helped build a strong foundation for continued success here, and we wish him and his family all the best in their future endeavors."
The Kings quickly found a successor, finalizing a deal Thursday with former New York Knicks GM Scott Perry to replace McNair, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. Perry ran the Knicks' basketball operations from 2017-23 following a brief three-month stint with the Kings' front office.
McNair took over as GM ahead of the 2020-21 season and signed a multi-year extension in January 2023, months before being named NBA Executive of the Year.
The 40-year-old was behind multiple high-profile acquisitions for the franchise, including the February 2022 blockbuster that sent Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson to the Indiana Pacers for a package centered around Domantas Sabonis.
Ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, McNair landed DeMar DeRozan from the Chicago Bulls in a sign-and-trade as part of a three-team deal with the San Antonio Spurs. Those three teams swung another swap this past February, reuniting DeRozan with former Bulls teammate Zach LaVine in Sacramento while sending star guard De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio.
Under McNair, however, the Kings struggled to add impactful players through the draft.
Of the team's four first-round picks since 2021, only Keegan Murray, the fourth overall pick in 2022, remains part of the team's rotation. Davion Mitchell (No. 9 in 2021), was sent away in a June 2024 move to dump Sasha Vezenkov's salary on the Toronto Raptors.
Last year's No. 13 pick, Devin Carter, averaged 11 minutes across 36 games for the Kings as a rookie. He injured his shoulder in a pre-draft workout and missed the first few months of the season recovering from surgery. The Kings took Olivier-Maxence Prosper with their first-rounder in 2023 (No. 24) but two weeks later traded the forward alongside Richaun Holmes to the Dallas Mavericks for cash.
Sacramento made one playoff appearance under McNair, finishing 48-34 in 2022-23, but was eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the first round. It was the first time the organization reached the playoffs in 16 years.
The Kings went 40-42 this season and were eliminated from playoff contention after falling at home to the Dallas Mavericks in the play-in game.
