The way the Kings have operated over the past two decades has given Scott Perry some clarity on how he plans to handle things as general manager moving forward.
If you need a refresher: The Kings, after 16 long seasons without a playoff appearance, finally broke the streak as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference just three seasons ago. Since then, they fired coach Mike Brown, traded away franchise point guard De’Aaron Fox and hired a new front office regime to clean up the mess.
If you take a closer look, the Brown firing fell on the lap of Fox, who was blamed for the decision despite being vocally outspoken about his close relationship with the coach. Amid all the outside narratives, no one from the Sacramento leadership held a press conference to clarify the situation or address the decision.
Instead, they let the narratives run and then traded Fox two months later.
“You fire the coach and don’t do an interview?” Fox told ESPN’s Anthony Slater after the trade. “So all the blame was on me. … I felt at the time the organization didn’t have my back.”
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive urged former GM Monte McNair to fire Brown as the coach was driving to the airport for a road trip, a decision that stemmed as “panic was rising internally” among the organization, Slater reported in a column published Wednesday, citing team sources. Ranadive, at the time, was on vacation in Cabo San Lucas.
Sacramento then, in another desperate move, traded Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a three-team deal that brought Zach LaVine, a player Ranadive has long been enamored by, to the Kings. The move was finalized despite McNair’s apprehension, Slater reported, citing league sources.
McNair was relieved of his duties immediately after the Kings’ play-in loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
From the Beam Team fairytale to back to the dumps of the West, Perry watched from afar, and he was hired to fulfill the challenging role left vacant after McNair’s firing. But he took notes as he observed the three-year rollercoaster. And now, even as the Kings sit with an 8-29 record and remain one of the worst teams in the league, Perry, unlike previous front offices, won’t make decisions out of desperation.
“I use the phrase prudent and opportunistic,” Perry told Slater. “Which I’m going to continue to be. I’m not someone who’s going to do something rash. Nothing rushed or panicked.”
The trade deadline is where things are perceived to change for Sacramento, but as Perry alluded to, he won’t “blow it up” if it doesn’t make sense for the Kings long-term.
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