‘Disappointing’ might be the perfect word to describe the Kings’ 2024-25 campaign. For the second straight season, they failed to make the playoffs as they got blown out by the Mavs in tonight’s Play-in encounter. Shaken up by the brutal elimination, the franchise wasted no time in taking some pivotal decisions.

As per veteran insider Shams Charania, the Sacramento team has mutually parted ways with general manager Monte McNair. Yes, Monte, who won the NBA executive of the year award just two seasons ago after the Kings snapped their sixteen-year playoff drought with a 48-34 record and the third seed in the West, will no longer control the reigns of the team after spending five seasons as GM.

Sure enough, the shocking move has left the Kings players and coaching staff in complete chaos. Soon after Charania broke the news, reports emerged that interim head coach Doug Christie called an immediate players-only team meeting. Per veteran analyst Jake Godon, “multiple players were still in the locker room when the news broke and were very surprised with the timing.” Then, they were called in to have a meeting with Christie.

Well, if you have been following the Kings all year, McNair’s departure should not come as a surprise because the writing was already on the wall. There were buzzing rumors of him getting replaced by potential GM candidate Joe Dumars.

Then there’s De’Aaron Fox’s exit from the Sacramento Kings. It wasn’t just a blockbuster trade—it was the tip of the iceberg that revealed deeper dysfunction within the franchise. At the heart of it all? A growing rift between Fox and the Kings’ front office culminated in the firing McNair.

Fox had made it clear: he wanted to stay in Sacramento, but only under the leadership of head coach Mike Brown. When the organization abruptly dismissed Brown, Fox’s faith in the team’s direction crumbled.

His relationship with the front office soured, and trust gave way to frustration. The message from Fox was simple—if the Kings weren’t committed to stability, he wasn’t going to stick around.

After all, this was the GM who pulled the trigger on moving a homegrown star, arguably out of alignment with what Fox—and many around the league—saw as sound leadership. In the end, Fox leaving wasn’t just a consequence of dysfunction; it became the catalyst for it being laid bare.

Earlier this year, assistant GM Wes Wilcox also left Sacramento to take on the GM role for the Utah men’s basketball program. So, the sword was already hanging over Monte’s head. And the Play-In elimination turned out to be the final nail in the coffin. Now that McNair’s future has been confirmed, what about Christie?

Doug Christie wants to stay with Kings to finish what he started as job uncertainty looms

With Monte gone, its clear that the Sacramento franchise is looking to make some drastic changes. Over the course of this season, they already let go of their superstar De’Aaron Fox and head coach Mike Brown. Ironically, McNair played a major role in those decisions. Now, the same question mark haunts Doug Christie’s future.

Although he took over as head coach following Brown’s firing, his job is yet to become permanent. But Christie is hopeful about staying with the Kings and continuing his role.

Just minutes before McNair’s firing, the interim head coach said, “Yeah, this is where I wanna be. I think you guys know that. I NEED to finish what I started and that’s the only reason that I ever even stepped on to the sideline from where I was at initially. Because I had to exorcise some demons for myself. More than anything is when you hear the narratives that are written by people who were not here and just have random stuff to say, it irks me because they don’t know.”

Of course, Christie does not want to leave Sacramento with a loss and hopes to return for next season. However, he understands that the roster needs some tweaking in order to succeed, “When you talk roster construction, there’s a lot there. You gotta have a point guard in this league. There’s a lot of different things… We have to create a culture that’s highly competitive but highly positive at the same time cause that’s who I am.”

While what Christie told the players in the private meeting after McNair’s firing remains unknown, he would be hoping that he is not met with the same fate as the GM in the coming months. Thoughts?