Kings news: Monte McNair extended, Holmes a buyout candidate?

The Sacramento Kings are showing their hot start to the 2022-23 NBA season was no fluke. They are in the midst of one of the most exciting turnarounds in recent NBA history and a key reason for that is General Manager Monte McNair.

As the man pulling the strings, McNair has made some bold moves. He has never allowed his confidence to waiver despite what those outside the organization might be saying.

McNair took his current role going into the 2020-21 season. He has quickly flipped the Kings outlook. When he took the job, Sacramento wasn’t being taken seriously in NBA circles. Less than three years later, the Kings are making a legit playoff push and could see themselves hosting a western conference playoff series.

Not everything McNair has done has drawn immediate praise. His shocking trade of Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb (along with a second-round pick) was heavily criticized when it happened.

Now, Sabonis is the engine behind the Kings high powered offense. He has created one of the most unique but impactful star pairings alongside De’Aaron Fox.

There have been plenty of good moves made by McNair so far in his tenure. Some of the most impactful have been: The trade for Sabonis, drafting Keegan Murray, extending Fox, trading for Kevin Huerter and hiring Mike Brown as the team’s Head Coach.

McNair has certainly earned a long-term extension and that’s exactly what the Kings have given him, according to the Kings own team website. With McNair locked up moving forward, the Kings can continue their climb up the western conference standings.

Locking up McNair was a necessity for the franchise and it’s great to see them get it taken care of with relative ease.

More Kings News

• Richaun Holmes is being monitored by rival teams as a potential buyout target.

This is surprising to a certain extent. The Kings would obviously love to move on from Holmes at the trade deadline this season. He makes significant money and is not a part of the team’s rotation.

Mark Stein reports that rival teams are continuing to monitor the situation. It’s hard to tell if this is wishful thinking by rival teams or if the Kings could seriously consider a buyout for the big man. We will know soon enough as the NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, February 9th.

• The Kings play the Toronto Raptors on January 25th before embarking on a seven-game road trip. The road trip will end on February 8th, one day before the NBA trade deadline.

More NBA News

• The first (somewhat) big trade of the NBA season happened between the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards. The Lakers acquired Rui Hachimura in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks.
• The Memphis Grizzlies, who hold the second spot in the western conference as of today, will be without starting center Steven Adams for 3-5 weeks.