Sacramento Kings new GM Scott Perry outlines his vision

The Sacramento Kings’ new general manager, Scott Perry, said Wednesday that he’s “ready to get to work” leading the organization and plans to make a head coaching decision “in the next week or so.”The longtime NBA executive is taking the helm as GM after Monte McNair’s exit in the wake of the Kings’ loss during the play-in tournament. Perry spent three months with the Kings in 2017 before leaving for the New York Knicks. He started his executive career in 2000 with the Detroit Pistons.He spoke to reporters Wednesday, saying that interim head coach Doug Christie, whom he knows and admires, was one of the first people he met with after arriving in town. See the full press conference in the video above. “I watched him this year from afar in terms of his ability to have a presence on the court. I think he has made a connection with players,” Perry said. But Perry also said his phone has been “incessantly” ringing from others who are interested in becoming the team’s next head coach. “I’m going to have a few more conversations, in and around, about this job, and hopefully I can come to some sort of resolution within the next week or so,” he said. Turbulence was the theme for the Beam Team this season. Former head coach Mike Brown was fired after a five-game losing streak mid-season and then De’Aaron Fox, who made it clear he was unhappy with Brown’s termination, was traded. While the Kings did make big moves in acquiring Zach LaVine and Jonas Valančiūnas, it was not enough for them to survive the play-in tournament after the Dallas Mavericks won 120-106. Not even an hour had passed since the loss when the team mutually parted ways with McNair. McNair joined the Kings in September 2020 and was named NBA Executive of the Year in 2023. He was credited with helping bring the Kings to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. Perry described himself as a “proven leader” with a lot of institutional knowledge who wants to build a platform that offers “sustainable success and winning for this community.”Asked about the Kings’ roster and how the team fits as a cohesive group, Perry first acknowledged, “There’s some talent here.”But he cited as a weakness the team not having “a true point guard.” He said the Kings also needed to add more “athleticism to this group to enhance some of the talent that’s here.” He said he also planned to work on establishing an identity for the team. “What does it mean to be a Sacramento Kings player?” he said. “Play here, we’re going to require toughness. We want a defensive orientation. We’ve got to play extremely hard, and we’ve got to play together. Share the game is what I like to say. We’ve got to be professional. We’ve got to be disciplined, and we’ve got to have accountability. If you fit that profile, you’ll see guys wearing that Kings jersey. If not, then we’ll try to figure out how to get guys in here that do.” Perry said that he’s looking for “volunteers, not hostages” who are on board for that vision.Asked about how closely he planned to work with owner Vivek Ranadivé and how empowered he was to make decisions, Perry said, “Obviously, Vivek owns the team.” “I’ve worked with Vivek before, and I enjoy a very healthy and positive relationship with him,” Perry said. “But make no mistake, he has empowered me to lead this team and make critical decisions. Will I talk to him often about different things, absolutely.”“I want diversity of thought with unity of purpose,” Perry said.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

The Sacramento Kings’ new general manager, Scott Perry, said Wednesday that he’s “ready to get to work” leading the organization and plans to make a head coaching decision “in the next week or so.”

The longtime NBA executive is taking the helm as GM after Monte McNair’s exit in the wake of the Kings’ loss during the play-in tournament.

Perry spent three months with the Kings in 2017 before leaving for the New York Knicks. He started his executive career in 2000 with the Detroit Pistons.

He spoke to reporters Wednesday, saying that interim head coach Doug Christie, whom he knows and admires, was one of the first people he met with after arriving in town.

See the full press conference in the video above.

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“I watched him this year from afar in terms of his ability to have a presence on the court. I think he has made a connection with players,” Perry said.

But Perry also said his phone has been “incessantly” ringing from others who are interested in becoming the team’s next head coach.

“I’m going to have a few more conversations, in and around, about this job, and hopefully I can come to some sort of resolution within the next week or so,” he said.

Turbulence was the theme for the Beam Team this season. Former head coach Mike Brown was fired after a five-game losing streak mid-season and then De’Aaron Fox, who made it clear he was unhappy with Brown’s termination, was traded.

While the Kings did make big moves in acquiring Zach LaVine and Jonas Valančiūnas, it was not enough for them to survive the play-in tournament after the Dallas Mavericks won 120-106.

Not even an hour had passed since the loss when the team mutually parted ways with McNair. McNair joined the Kings in September 2020 and was named NBA Executive of the Year in 2023. He was credited with helping bring the Kings to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.

Perry described himself as a “proven leader” with a lot of institutional knowledge who wants to build a platform that offers “sustainable success and winning for this community.”

Asked about the Kings’ roster and how the team fits as a cohesive group, Perry first acknowledged, “There’s some talent here.”

But he cited as a weakness the team not having “a true point guard.” He said the Kings also needed to add more “athleticism to this group to enhance some of the talent that’s here.”

He said he also planned to work on establishing an identity for the team.

“What does it mean to be a Sacramento Kings player?” he said. “Play here, we’re going to require toughness. We want a defensive orientation. We’ve got to play extremely hard, and we’ve got to play together. Share the game is what I like to say. We’ve got to be professional. We’ve got to be disciplined, and we’ve got to have accountability. If you fit that profile, you’ll see guys wearing that Kings jersey. If not, then we’ll try to figure out how to get guys in here that do.”

Perry said that he’s looking for “volunteers, not hostages” who are on board for that vision.

Asked about how closely he planned to work with owner Vivek Ranadivé and how empowered he was to make decisions, Perry said, “Obviously, Vivek owns the team.”

“I’ve worked with Vivek before, and I enjoy a very healthy and positive relationship with him,” Perry said. “But make no mistake, he has empowered me to lead this team and make critical decisions. Will I talk to him often about different things, absolutely.”

“I want diversity of thought with unity of purpose,” Perry said.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel