Kings GM Scott Perry Draws Inspiration From NFL Team Amid Rebuild

Scott Perry opened up about the future outlook of the Sacramento Kings in a recent interview.

Sep 25, 2017; Greenburgh, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Scott Perry speaks to the media on media day at MSG Training Center. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

In ESPN insider Anthony Slater’s new report, he sits down with Sacramento Kings GM Scott Perry. The report covered a wide range of topics and sheds more light on Perry’s outlook and hopes for the franchise as his first season at the helm develops. 

Inspiration from Unexpected Team

Perry has been given the difficult task of building the Sacramento Kings back up to where they were in the early 2000s and 2022-23. In Perry’s words, “he was hired to create and build a sustainable winner.”

When one hears this, their mind probably goes to thinking about NBA teams that always seem to be in the fight. This could mean Miami or San Antonio, who always seem to make the most of their rosters and remain in the playoff picture.

More recently, this could mean Oklahoma City or Boston, both of whom appear well-positioned to navigate the Apron era. Boston is already navigating, revamping their roster last summer to avoid the Second Apron and repeater tax, remaining competitive while doing so. 

Per Slater, Perry’s recent inspiration did not even come from a basketball team. Perry, along with Assistant General Manager BJ Armstrong and Coach Doug Christie, attended Pittsburgh Steelers preseason camp. Given the Steelers’ notorious continuity and consistently respectable record, there was probably a lot to learn from their culture. 

Not Putting a Label on it

With Sacramento sporting an 8-29 record despite being one of the oldest rosters in the league, the writing is very much on the wall. Nonetheless, Perry will not call the situation what everyone sees it as. 

“You can use the term rebuild,” Perry said, “I’m not a big labeler. But what I’ve said, from the very beginning, [is] we know it’s going to be a heavy lift.” 

The Kings are 8-29 and in need of a patient multi-year rebuild. How did they get here and what’s the plan out of it?

Talked to new general manager Scott Perry about the franchise’s road ahead https://t.co/dhEyYJSHmg

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 7, 2026

The lift seems to get heavier by the day as the trade market takes shape. Sacramento is very open for business, willing to trade anyone other than Keegan Murray, Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud. Unfortunately, the market is not exactly hot for expensive veterans like Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, or DeMar DeRozan. 

Yesterday, Atlanta sent their longtime franchise cornerstone, Trae Young, to the Washington Wizards. Several years ago, trading Young would have probably netted you a starter pack to reset your franchise, as the Utah Jazz received when breaking up their Donovan Mitchell/Rudy Gobert-led team. 

In 2025, though? Trading your star gets you expiring salary (33-year-old CJ McCollum), and a veteran wing on a team-friendly contract (Corey Kispert, in year one of a four-year descending extension at $13.5M AAV). This was good business by Atlanta General Manager Onsi Saleh, but fans are understandably disappointed with this lukewarm return. 

LaVine is on the exact same contract as Young, meaning any team that trades for him will consider the impact on their cap sheet. Further, LaVine has not necessarily helped himself with his play this season. The swingman is enjoying another strong shooting season (48/39/88), but has not shown that his offensive firepower translates to winning (this disastrous season is by no means all on LaVine). 

With this in mind, the “heavy lift” Perry mentions may mean patience in playing LaVine’s contract out until he hits free agency in 2027, clearing Sacramento’s cap sheet so they can maneuver more freely. 

Clear Goals, Avenues to Improve

Perry was abundantly clear on how he sees Sacramento improving during this heavy lift. First, he notes that “[t]his draft is shaping up to be pretty good... some of the best teams in the league, they have built and got a lot of their talent through the draft. So I see us really diving into this draft process.” 

Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. #MondayMotivation

— Scott Perry (@ScottPerryGM) December 29, 2025

The early returns on Perry and co’s evaluation have been generally good. Their bet on Nique Clifford seems to be a fine one thus far. Clifford’s stats will not jump off the sheet, and fans should probably reserve judgment on the young wing until he gets extended run. 

Since Domantas Sabonis went down with an injury and Sacramento did not sign any playable depth behind him, second-round pick Maxime Raynaud has already gotten heavy minutes. He has flourished as a starter over the last month, averaging 15.5/9.3/1.4 in 30.6 MPG in January. 

With their initial rookies producing, fans should be cautiously optimistic about this regime’s ability to identify young talent. 

Building on the draft focus, Perry made the main goal clear: “[w]e’ve got to get younger as a team.” This has been abundantly clear since the summer, but it is good to hear it clearly stated on the record. 

Slater’s report shows alignment and clarity on where Perry and the new Kings regime want this team to go. Now that the vision is laid out, it is time for them to execute.