ESPN’s Brian Windhorst Slams Sacramento Kings’ Chaos Following GM Dismissal

Merely two years earlier, the Sacramento Kings engaged in an unforgettable first-round playoff battle with the Golden State Warriors.

Under the leadership of General Manager Monte McNair, Head Coach Mike Brown, standout guard De’Aaron Fox, and the newly joined center Domantas Sabonis, the Kings achieved 48 victories in the 2022-23 season. This success secured them the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and broke the longest active playoff drought in North American professional sports, which had lasted 17 years. Although they were defeated by the Warriors after seven games, the series was seen as the start of a hopeful new chapter for basketball in Sacramento.

Two years on, Sabonis is the sole remnant of that team. McNair parted ways with the franchise on Wednesday evening, Brown was dismissed last December, and Fox, who had been the long-standing face of the team, was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in February.

“It’s not a good organization,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst commented on NBA Today on Thursday.

.@WindhorstESPN is pessimistic about the current state of the Sacramento Kings.

“This is the definition of why they have been a bad organization for decades.” pic.twitter.com/cQi4ne7qmM

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 17, 2025

Windhorst also referenced Sabonis’s remarks during his end-of-season press conference on Thursday, where he mentioned the team’s need for a point guard in the offseason, ironically shortly after trading away Fox.

“They just let go of a franchise point guard they had,” Windhorst noted. “They had the Executive of the Year [McNair], relationship soured. He was aware of his impending termination for weeks since they had already recruited Scott Perry. They had finally found the right coach in Mike Brown, even extending his contract last summer, only to fire him two months into the season. This is a prime example of their long-standing struggles as an organization.”

According to The Athletic, McNair, foreseeing the end of his tenure, was opposed to firing Brown and was also reluctant to trade for Zach LaVine and sign DeMar DeRozan last offseason.

Owner Vivek Ranadive, who acquired the team in May 2013, has been a constant through these turbulent times. Under his ownership, Sacramento has seen eight head coaches, four general managers, and only a single playoff appearance since 2023.

“They had a functioning alignment, then brought in an expensive, ineffective pairing,” Windhorst said. “They had a working front office that they disenfranchised and ousted. What are we doing here? … Why would anyone trust the decision-making at the top?”

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