Sacramento Kings GM Monte McNair on the decision to trade De’Aaron Fox

The Sacramento Kings have been making headlines over the past couple of months–not necessarily good headlines, either.

Kings general manager Monte McNair joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross on Tuesday morning to explain what went behind the decision to trade former franchise star De’Aaron Fox, address his thoughts on the team’s defense, and much more.

Plus, McNair shares his thoughts on where things currently stand for this roster as Sacramento continues to hover around the .500 mark heading into the playoff-push portion of the regular season schedule.

Be sure to check out the entire interview with McNair on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube page.

Topics Discussed

• Monte starts by thanking De’Aaron Fox and Mike Brown for their contributions to the Kings over the years.
• “We’re flipping the page to a new iteration.”
• What was the driving factor to move on from De’Aaron now rather than later?
• “For us, when we did go to the market, wanting to stay competitive and getting someone of [Zach LaVine’s] caliber, stockpile our draft assets, plus two unprotected picks, I think that package was enticing to us.”
• Diving into roster construction: Did McNair do enough to upgrade the defense?
• “Something we have to continue to do… We need our offense to carry us, but we need our defense to be good enough.”
• McNair says he is excited that Sacramento was able to stock up on draft capital.
• How quickly does Monte evaluate his trade and draft decisions?
• What goes on behind the scenes of rotation decisions?
• Thoughts on Keon Ellis’ growing role: “Keon has earned the minutes, whether he is starting or not.”
• The Kings have plenty of talent on the roster. Why are they hovering around the .500 mark?
• “We have got to find a way to be better… This group, being around .500, is just not good enough. That falls on me.”

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.

More Kings coverage from Sactown Sports

It was the DeMar DeRozan show Monday night in the American Airlines Center, as his game-winner gave the Sacramento Kings a 129-128 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks.

The six-time All-Star recorded a season-high 42 points on 15/22 from the field, including 4/6 from three, seven rebounds and three assists.

Committing 20 turnovers that led to 36 Dallas points was overcome by DeRozan’s heroic efforts, especially in the clutch.

Sacramento (27-26) starts their three-game road trip with a win in Dallas (28-26), as just two remain on the schedule before All-Star Weekend begins on Friday, February 13th.

Read more below:

DeRozan’s 42-point performance leads Kings to 129-128 OT win in Dallas

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

The Sacramento Kings will look to build on Monday’s win in Dallas and head into the All-Star break on a high note when they tip off a back-to-back set in New Orleans against the Pelicans on Wednesday night.

Be sure to catch all of the Kings vs. Pelicans drama right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PT on The Drive Guys before action tips off at 5:00 PM PT from downtown Milwaukee.

Sacramento Kings 2024-25 Schedule

• Wednesday, February 11th – @ New Orleans Pelicans – 5:00 PM PT
• Thursday, February 12th – @ New Orleans Pelicans – 5:00 PM PT
• Friday, February 13th – Sunday, February 16th – All-Star Weekend
• Friday, February 21st – vs. Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PT
• Monday, February 24th – vs. Charlotte Hornets – 7:00 PM PT

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