Kings GM Monte McNair: ‘Our Goals Haven’t Changed’

January 11, 2025

Speaking to NBC Sports California’s Mark Jones on Friday, Kings general manager Monte McNair addressed the team’s surprising decision to part ways with head coach Mike Brown, stressing his deep respect for the veteran coach.

However, McNair was quick to shift the conversation toward Doug Christie, who has taken over as interim head coach. McNair praised Christie’s passion and commitment to the organization, pointing out how his experience as a player and his connection to the team have positively impacted the squad.

“What I think he brings to the table is his optimism, his playing experience and what he feels he needs to give to those players because that’s what he needed when he played,” McNair said. “And right now, I think the guys have really responded to that.”

The Kings’ response under Christie has been impressive. On Friday, the team won its sixth straight game, pushing its record to .500 at 19-19 and placing them squarely in the postseason mix in the tightly contested Western Conference.

McNair made it clear that making the playoffs remains a key goal for the franchise.

“I would say our goals haven’t changed,” McNair said. “We want to get to the playoffs. We want to continue to make noise there. I think what we’ve done is we’ve put ourselves in a bit of a hole. We’ve started to climb out of it but there’s more work to be done.

“We’re really right now on the fringes of the play-in, that’s certainly one way into the playoffs, we’ve seen teams take that path away and make some noise in the playoffs, so if that’s the pathway we have to go through, we’ll do that.”

McNair added that the team’s ideal scenario would be securing a top-six finish in the standings, which would provide them with some rest heading into the playoffs. Still, he emphasized that the ultimate focus remains on finding a way to compete for a championship.

Looking ahead to the February 6 trade deadline, McNair was reflective about the team’s new direction under Christie and what that means for the front office’s strategy.

“I think the first thing we’re looking at is we made a big change, so what does the team look like?” McNair explained. “We’ve seen a little bit of that, but we want to see a little bit more about how this team responds and exactly what we have.

“We’re always looking, that’s our job in the front office, we always got to find ways to improve this team especially in the Western Conference where it feels like every year there’s 10, 11, 12 teams that you got to compete with.”

McNair acknowledged the challenges posed by the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), but he remains optimistic about the team’s ability to make moves.

“It certainly puts some constraints on how you can maneuver, but I think we are well positioned with our current position,” he said. “You can’t stand still in this league for too long and you got to continue to find ways to make your team better.”

When it comes to adding talent, McNair spoke about the ongoing need for two-way players who can contribute on both ends of the floor without compromising the team’s offensive output.

Players like Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis have been stepping up to take on tougher defensive assignments, and McNair emphasized that the team is committed to finding more players who can contribute on both ends of the floor.

“We’ll continue to look for those guys,” McNair said. “We’ll continue to challenge the guys that we have here to take on those responsibilities.”

As the Kings continue to climb the standings, McNair pointed to the team’s defensive improvements, noting they’ve been one of the top-five teams defensively over the past 10 days.

“Our goal is to be top half of the league and we’re right there,” he said.