Report: Decision-Making Tension Between Monte McNair and the Kings

Monte McNair reportedly did not want to fire Mike Brown and had others in the front office pushing for roster moves.

Dec 13, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive (L) and general manager Monte McNair (R) look on during warm ups before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

After losing big to the Dallas Mavericks last night in the Play-In tournament, the Sacramento Kings didn't take long to announce they were parting ways with general manager Monte McNair. And much like it not taking long for McNair to be let go, it isn't taking long for more information to come out about what went on behind the scenes in his final season in Sacramento.

The Athletic's Sam Amick joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross and expanded on what he wrote in his article, sharing information around the turmoil that was present in the Kings front office throughout the season.

"He didn't want [Mike Brown] fired, he didn't want [Doug Christie] to be the coach, he didn't want Doug to continue being the coach," Amick stated. And it wasn't just the decision to fire Brown where there appears to have been tension.

"He didn't want [Mike Brown] fired, he didn't want [Doug Christie] to be the coach, he didn't want Doug to continue being the coach... If left to his own devices, Monte would have built the roster differently."@sam_amick with @CarmichaelDave & @JasonRoss1140 on Monte McNair: pic.twitter.com/Cf2A6bOm15

— Sactown Sports 1140 (@Sactown1140) April 17, 2025

From the DeMar DeRozan sign and trade during the offseason to the De'Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine swap at the trade deadline, Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé appears to have been heavily involved in the Kings moves this season. "Vivek was very involved there and excited about a high-profile player and a guy that came to town. He was the driving force behind all those."

And it wasn't only Ranadivé stepping in to make decisions around the roster, but assistant GM Wes Wilcox as well. "If you go back to last summer, Wes Wilcox, the assistant GM who left recently, was kind of running point on the DeMar DeRozan signing," Amick added.

The pairing of McNair and Wilcox was always an odd situation, with McNair reportedly handling the draft duties while Wilcox led the free agent and trade discussions. It all begs the question: What did Monte McNair do for this team this year that was actually his idea or vision?

For years, the Kings have struggled with consistency in the front office and people stepping on each other's toes. They appeared to have found someone they trusted in McNair to go out and do his job, but it comes as little surprise that that wasn't actually the case.

From the outside looking in, it feels like McNair's autonomy dwindled with each passing season throughout his five-year tenure in Sacramento.

Sacramento's roster this season never felt like it fit together. They once again lacked length and athleticism and failed to address weaknesses that had plagued them in the past, they were guard-heavy without a true point guard on the roster, and they went from a young, exciting team to a team filled with older veterans almost overnight.

Amick added that "If left to his own devices, Monte would have built the roster differently." It's hard to say without knowing what moves McNair would have done differently, but it's not hard to say that the Kings might be in a better position now if they had let him build the roster the way he saw best.