Ousted Kings GM reportedly opposed additions of DeMar DeRozan & Zach LaVine, firing of HC Mike Brown

The Sacramento Kings saw their season end at the hands of Anthony Davis and the Dallas Mavericks in the 9-10 game in the Western Conference play-in tournament. After the game, the Kings were quick to make their first offseason change, moving on from general manager Monte McNair.

McNair had been the Kings' general manager for five seasons, winning the Executive of the Year award back in 2023 after building a roster that rose all the way to the third seed in the Western Conference. However, McNair's time in Sacramento after that season grew more and more tumultuous.

In a report that came out just hours after Sacramento's season was over on Wednesday night, it was revealed by Athletic reporters Sam Amick and Anthony Slater that McNair might have disagreed with some of the bigger moves made by the team. According to reports, McNair didn't want to bring in new stars or move on from the team's head coach.

"McNair didn’t want to fire Brown, league sources said, and there are internal questions about whether he really wanted to sign DeRozan or trade for LaVine," said Amick and Slater about the situation. "Tension also existed in recent days between McNair and the ownership group about Christie’s future with Ranadive viewed as the Christie backer."

The idea that a team's general manager lacks decision-making power, as well as the trust of the team owner was writing on the wall for the mutual departure that took place after the game. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has all but cleaned house on the staff that had so much success two seasons ago, entering an offseason full of questions and tough decisions.

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After losing in the play-in tournament, what should the Kings do in the offseason?

Since capturing their unique style of play in 2023, the Kings haven't been able to repeat their success in the following seasons. They brought in DeMar DeRozan to add another scorer to their team, but his mid-range affinity slowed down what was meant to be an energetic style for Sacramento, hurting their offense.

After moving on from head coach Mike Brown in one of the most poorly handled firings in recent history, Sacramento had no choice but to trade a disgruntled De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs, getting Zach LaVine from the Bulls in return. If the reports are correct, McNair didn't want to make either move, but wasn't given a choice by ownership.

Sacramento is in a tough spot entering the offseason. LaVine and DeRozan's contracts are two of the worst values in the NBA, and the Kings have so much money tied up with them and Domantas Sabonis that a big free agent signing isn't on the table.

Perhaps the best move for the team would be to try to flip all three for future assets and begin a rebuild around Keegan Murray and their young core.