Monte McNair on the trade deadline & expectations for the future

As the NBA season enters a brief pause due to the All-Star break, Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross to dive into a variety of topics.

McNair dissected his thought process heading into and during last week’s NBA trade deadline, explained the reasoning behind the acquisition (and release) of veteran center Robin Lopez, shared his excitement towards the signing of Keon Ellis to a standard contract, and much more.

Plus: McNair talks about the inconsistencies that have plagued Sacramento this season.

Topics Discussed

• Fans ask Monte McNair questions on Twitter/X
• Monte explains his approach to the trade deadline
• McNair says that if the Kings fall short of the playoffs, the front office will look to use their resources to upgrade the roster
• How does the front office asses potential fits at the deadline and during the offseason?
• What went behind acquiring, then waiving, center Robin Lopez?
• Signing Keon Ellis to a standard NBA contract was a part of the process of acquiring Lopez + cash considerations
• How does Monte asses Sacramento’s inconsistent play?
• “We definitely feel that frustration… If you can beat Denver on the road, you can do a lot of things.”
• What is Monte’s philosophy on sports psychology–especially when it comes to figuring out Sacramento’s woes at the free-throw line?
• “Our team continues to bounce back… I feel confident that our guys are going to shoot better from the line going forward.”
• Thoughts on how the Kings have used their coach’s challenges this season
• “We’ve given [the coaches] the green light to be aggressive.”
• Is there any correlation between Sacramento’s success and the ability to attract free agent/trade targets?
• “The biggest driver for what players want to do is win. We want to be a consistent, winning franchise. We’re at the baby steps of that… A playoff berth is not good enough. We want to advance.”
• Monte says that he hears from players and agents about how impressive the Kings’ fanbase and Golden 1 Center environment have been since last season

Listen to The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross from 6 – 10 a.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.

Click here for full episodes of The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross.

Click here for more Kings coverage from Sactown Sports.

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

Sacramento will enter the All-Star break looking to rest and recover for the final stretch of the regular season.

Once the Kings return from the week-long break, they will face rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs–owner of the worst record in the Western Conference–on Thursday, February 22nd, at Golden 1 Center.

Be sure to tune in right here on Sactown Sports 1140 for all of your Kings vs. Spurs coverage, beginning at 5:30 PM PST on Game Night before a 7:00 PM PST tip-off from downtown Sacramento.

Upcoming Schedule

• NBA All-Star break – February 15-21
• Thursday, February 22nd – Sacramento Kings vs. San Antonio Spurs – 7:00 PM PST
• Sunday, February 25th – Sacramento Kings @ Los Angeles Clippers – 6:30 PM PST
• Monday, February 26th – Sacramento Kings vs. Miami Heat – 7:00 PM PST
• Wednesday, February 28th – Sacramento Kings @ Denver Nuggets – 6:00 PM PST
• Friday, March 1st – Sacramento Kings @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 5:00 PM PST

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