The Sacramento Kings have gone all-in on a vision that Chicago Bulls fans could've warned them about. In a matter of months, the Kings fired head coach Mike Brown, traded franchise player De'Aaron Fox, and reunited the Bulls' former dynamic duo of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.
Chicago couldn't escape the throes of mediocrity during that polarizing era, and Sacramento will need to do so as quickly as possible to avoid a drastic decision.
Sacramento finished the 2024-25 regular season at 40-42, thus failing to convince skeptics that it's destined for anything other than repeating Chicago's mistakes. Thankfully, it reached the Play-In Tournament and will have an opportunity to rewrite the narrative.
According to Michael Scott of HoopsHype, Kings executive Monte McNair is on the hot seat as the franchise prepares for the Play-In Tournament.
"Heading into the Play-In Tournament, Sacramento Kings executive Monte McNair is on the hot seat, league sources told HoopsHype."
With just one loss, the Kings could head down a path toward a decision that fans have become all too familiar with: A complete factory reset.
Kings could fire Monte McNair if they lose Play-In Tournament
The Kings have become the gold standard for starting over after brief periods of success. Doug Christie, who currently has the interim tag, is their 10th head coach since 2012, and an 11th could soon be hired if the organization opts against giving him the full-time position.
McNair, meanwhile, is the Kings' fourth lead executive since 2013—a telling sign of what's gone wrong in Sacramento.
Success has been limited, as Sacramento has made just one postseason appearance since 2006. The only two seasons during which it finished above .500 during that time were 2022-23 and 2023-24, when Mike Brown was head coach.
Despite the success that Brown experienced, he was unceremoniously fired after just 31 games in 2024-25—and Fox was traded not long after that decision was made.
Based on Scotto's report, it appears as though McNair will find himself in danger of a similar fate if the Kings fail to reach the 2025 NBA Playoffs. It's an unfortunate reality to accept, especially when one considers that he's easily the most successful executive the Kings have employed since Geoff Petrie.
The trade for LaVine, the loss of Fox, and the decision to fire Brown, however, have created questions about if the Kings can turn things around.
One possible answer to whether or not the Kings should fire McNair is the fact that the team went 27-23 after Dec. 30. Unfortunately, there's just as much to be said about the fact that Sacramento went 8-14 to close out the 2024-25 regular season and 15-17 after the trade deadline.
Whether or not McNair should be fired, it appears as though a decision is imminent that could decide his future and potentially send Sacramento back into a perpetual rebuild.