‘Prudent and patient’: Sacramento Kings GM addresses trade deadline decision making
How’s everybody doing this morning? Welcome. Good morning. Good morning, everybody. Welcome, um, and thank you all for coming out, um. I want to Spend the first few minutes here just to kinda Give you *** recap thought process, uh, coming out of the trade deadline. Uh, I wanna send ***, first send *** special thank you to *** few people. First of all, to my front office. Um, I’ve been in the league 25 years now and there is *** lot of work and preparation that goes into getting ready for that time of year, being trade deadline. So, it’s *** lot of hours, it’s *** lot of phone calls and uh my group was exceptional. Uh, I felt very well prepared, very well informed, so I wanna publicly say thank you to all of them first and foremost. Also wanna say *** thanks to Dennis Schroeder. Um, Keyon Ellis and Dario Sarrich for the professionalism and the buy-in and the hard work that they put in, uh, during their time here with the Sacramento Kings. It is much appreciated and I wish them all the very best, uh, in, in, in their, in further in their careers where they, they landed after this trade. Um, As you know, the trade deadline is just the first opportunity. Really to make an adjustment with the roster. And as I said to All of you here, uh, in the media and the Sacramento King community at large and fan base is that we’re gonna take our time and we’re gonna use this year. To evaluate this roster. And uh and that’s what we did in the 1st 50 games of this year, we’ve had an opportunity to make that evaluation. Um, and so we decided to make *** little tweak, um, with the roster after watching that. You know, I felt like we were small-ish, um, we had *** lot of guards, we were very, you know, heavy at the guards. We didn’t have *** point guard coming into the season as I made, uh, as you all know, uh, there was no point guard here, um, and so that was the reasoning behind going after Dennis Schroeder. Um, and so for *** variety of reasons, uh, as things unfolded, uh, things didn’t work as well as we would have liked them to work, just quite frankly, and, uh, and it’s not reflective just on Dennis Schroeder, it’s on the collective. Uh, we endured, and it’s not an excuse, but it’s *** fact. *** lot of injuries. I think we’re the only team in the league this year that, uh, never started. The projected starting 5 going into the season. For example, Keegan Murray has missed 33 games this year out of the 50. Demas Sabonis, Demonda Sabonis has missed 33 games and then Dennis missed 7 himself. So that makes it very difficult to create any kind of continuity, um, amongst your basketball team because it takes time to, to create the necessary cohesion that can be very helpful when it comes to winning basketball games. So that was, um. You know, observe that and so you’ve heard me also talk about needing to get Bigger size, you know, more length, versatility, athleticism, uh, reasoning behind. Uh, trading for *** guy like DeAndre Hunter. Uh, and concentrate, uh, some public sentiment. DeAndre is *** *** very proven two-way player in this league, and he’s not an old player. He’s just 28 years old. Um, he allows us to defend, uh, at *** high level, I believe. He’s exhibited that throughout his career. Uh, he’s been *** very good shooter from the perimeter. I know his numbers were *** little down this current season, uh, coming out of Cleveland, but, uh, there’s enough historical data and historical evaluation that leads me to believe that he can be helpful to us, and I think another thing that’s not talked about much, he’s on *** very short contract too. He becomes an expiring contract next year, so we’re making this move, still gives us flexibility. You know, one of the things that you evaluate when you come into *** new job is kind of where the roster is at and um and so we knew years one and two was going to be difficult in terms of having much financial flexibility. 27, 28. As currently construction, that’s gonna be the first opportunity we will have *** little window to start having *** little more flexibility and making some more moves, uh, to continue to prove the roster, um. I’ve talked about. Um, one of the other byproducts of the deal, which was important to us as well too, we were able in sending out 3 players, it opened up *** roster spot for us to elevate and sign to *** full-time NBA contract, *** guy like Dylan Cardwell, who has more than earned it and who’s quickly becoming *** fan favorite here, and he does things that are very important. For any successful basketball team, he is. An energetic defender. He’s able to protect the rim. He’s *** switchable center, *** big man. He can guard guys away from the basket as well. He’s an excellent rebounder, uh, one of the top rebounders for the minutes he’s played as *** rookie already. And we just continue to see *** very great trajectory for him, so it was important that we be able to convert him so he can finish the remainder of the season with us and not be capped at 50 games as *** two-way player. So, uh, we’re excited about that. Again, we’re at the extreme early stages of laying the foundation here, and I’ve, you’ve heard the phrase for me, prudent and patient, uh, that’s how it has to be if you wanna create *** foundation of sustainable winning like what we wanna do. So we’re not gonna do anything out of panic. Uh, there’s *** lot of outside noise that comes throughout the year and especially during trade deadline, um, but I’ve been around long enough. I’m an experienced. Enough person in this position that I’m not gonna allow that to sway any of our decision making, do anything out of panic and make any what I would call bad decisions, so, um. So we’re happy about that. We’re happy, you know, about where we are coming out of the deadline. Looking forward to watching, uh, you know, DeAndre throughout the remainder of this year, how he fits in with the group. We’re looking forward to seeing how young players continue to grow, uh, from this point on, and so that hopefully we can gain some momentum coming out of this season as we prepare for next season. So we’re just getting started, um, and then I think you’ll see. Uh, you know, the draft is coming up. Another opportunity. Free agency is coming up, another opportunity to tweak and improve the roster, but we’re still gonna do it with the same mindset of being very smart, prudent, and not being impatient. So, uh, it takes, you know, like the old saying, Rome was not built in *** day. And so I have the patience necessary to do what we, that needs to be done. To ultimately get this franchise where all of you would like to see it, and I know the Sacramento fan base at large has been starving for that, and uh we’re going to get there. And so I’m more confident than ever that we will. The job is never done and um with all that being said, I will open it up for questions. Scott, thank you, uh, for taking this opportunity to speak with us, you know, and doing it immediately. Um, *** few weeks ago, you had spoke to, uh, on *** radio show to, uh, Kevin Gleeson and Kayla Anderson about trades, and I think one of the things that, uh, struck me was You’re not gonna make *** move just to make *** move, but What was coming back, does the math. Were those some of the, you know, the things that you were, uh, uh, running into with these and maybe some things didn’t pan out, maybe things did work out, but maybe it didn’t work out with the other team? You know, I have *** great question, and, uh, it gives me an opportunity to give all of you *** kind of insight into the thing. I think anytime you go to Talking about trading any particular player, you try to set *** threshold, what you want. Now obviously you gotta find *** trade partner out here or partners to make it happen. And so, um, whether that threshold is *** certain amount of draft capital, if you can get it, if you can’t get that, OK, then in our case here, can you pivot to get *** player that you want that makes sense, that won’t. Um, impede your long term vision in, especially where where where we’re at in the building stages. So, um, yeah, every trade, and that’s where again I wanna, I wanna thank my front office again. We do *** lot of work in planning. Every deal that we talk about, then we immediately look at, OK, what’s the ramifications to the cap, short term, long term, uh, cause that’s important in team building. So, uh, I enjoy that part of the job. And um and so hopefully that answers your question. Is there anything else further, you know, with the other teams, speaking, you know, um, you know, dealing with them, was that kind of the same uh uh. Feeling that you was getting from them. Oh yeah, no, look, you know, every operation is *** little different again. I’ve been around long enough. There’s some teams and executives that I’ve worked closer with over the years than others, so the ones that I know well, it’s easy to, to at least have conversations, direct conversations where either you can quickly establish is there’s something there that can potentially happen or something not there. Now there’s other conversations that you may have. There’s *** lot of. And, and there’s internal noise too, and I mean internal noise, that’s within the NBA, you know, sometimes you get people that are just kinda probing just to kinda find out what’s going on and what’s out there and they may not be as At the point of, you know, *** series of, of consummating the deals, maybe you are. And so you run into that *** little bit, um, but again, my experience of being around knowing the majority of these guys in the front offices, um, it, it, you kinda know each organization has its own identity if you will, or own style in terms of how they like to negotiate, uh, in this type of, uh, Uh, you know, during the trade deadline in this type of environment. Scott, um, Wondering, uh, you, you’ve been through this quite *** few times outside of Sacramento, but you had *** little taste of this *** few years ago. How different was it to go through it and kind of see the reaction of Sacramento fans who are so incredibly passionate, who are just praying that something will turn around here, uh, and kind of seeing that play out in real time. You uh You get so caught up into what I’m doing day to day on the phones. I probably didn’t get *** chance to listen to as much of the noise. I mean, you’re very aware of all of the Fan reactions and things, you know, I mean I might get *** snippet here or there, uh, it’s important for me just to keep my head down and and do what I feel is best for the organization, uh, but that’s why it’s important for me to come out here today and kinda share my thought process so hopefully that the fan base understands and, and has confidence in what we’re, we’re thinking and doing because I know we do, um, and I’ve, you know, been part of. Organizations that have been successful when you attack it that way, but it’s exciting though to know that. You have *** fan base that’s very invested and emotional in it. And uh so that’s an exciting thing. Um, and so I enjoy that part about it. I embrace it, um, but, you know, I would always, you know, push pause for whether it’s fan base or, you know, all of us internally, uh, within the King’s organization. We’re never gonna make moves just for the sake of making moves and be in the 24 hour news cycle. Oh, we made 4 trades. Well, if that doesn’t, if that doesn’t make sense to the overall vision and the direction we want to go, we just were part of *** news cycle for 24 hours and then we have less direction coming out of that. We still have clear direction on which way we wanna go. Hey Scott, um, *** couple of questions for you. So the first one is obviously the Keyon Ellis saga Sacramento’s over. Um, can you maybe shed *** little bit of light on why he wasn’t able to extend here or why *** deal was never able to get done with him, obviously, uh. You know, moved in the Dennis deal, but it maybe shed *** little bit of light on that obviously he was *** fan favorite. You know, first of all, I enjoyed every minute working with Keyon Ellis, true class young man first and very solid basketball player. As I alluded to earlier, um, we had *** lot of guards on the team this year, and, and one thing that, uh, Played out. Obviously, there was inconsistent minutes for him, uh, and so he never, I felt this year and I’m sure he would concur. Was able to get *** strong foothold in *** role here. Um, and so you just, you, you make *** decision that way. So you, you know, *** lot of times, and I’ve said here *** lot of times, you’re gonna lose solid players in the process when making deals. And so, uh, again, we needed to get bigger, we needed to get, you know, some more size and length, uh, here, that’s what DeAndre brings, um, you know, Keon is gonna You know, have *** good market, I’m sure this offseason. And so, uh, you weigh, you know, what that number may be if we come back with pretty much the same roster, is he playing? what what what’s his playing look like for us here? And so that’s what I knew we needed and we made the pivot to say, OK, let’s get *** little bigger, *** little longer, more athletic, and it’s still on the short-term deal. Uh, in bringing DeAndre here, so we’ll see how DeAndre fares and how he fits in here and we’ll make that evaluation the next season. Um, it’s because that move, again, I, whoever we draft, hopefully we’re gonna, we’re in position to get *** high draft pick, um, and so it was important for me to have *** roster that’s going to be *** little more balanced. OK, what does DeAndre look? Like alongside *** guy like Keegan Murray who hasn’t played, because if you look at *** lot of the teams now, especially your better teams, they’re longer, they’re more athletic, they got more two-way players on the court. We need, we still need to add more. We just said 2. Keegan Murray was the only one we had until we made this trade. And then, uh, just looking at the league kind of as *** whole and building the sustainable winner that you guys have talked about, um, it seems that that is. Best done through the draft, especially recently. How important is draft capital in your grand scheme here in Sacramento, and is that kind of *** primary focus in the next year or two? Draft capital is extremely important. Obviously this is ***. Big draft coming up for us. Um, obviously the season didn’t, hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to in terms of wins and losses, but maybe the silver lining becomes we get *** You know, *** high enough pick where you can get *** difference maker when the, when the draft comes. But it’s very important. So that’s why in terms of being patient and prudent, uh, those first round picks are Huge pieces in terms of being able to build out. So one of the things that we have to be disciplined and resistant to, you know, look, there are, we have some higher salaries on our roster. Well, most teams are going to ask you for *** first round pick or two to take on money. Well, if you do that, then how do you build if you give away the draft capital. So we, we, we have to remain disciplined in that manner to make sure. That we’re able to draft, but you know, and if we can add some more picks, that would be great too, but we’re not, uh, we haven’t been able to do that yet. Hopefully we can, can do that along the way too as we continue to build. Hey Scott, back here. Yeah, got 24. How are you? Um, first off, when you signed Dennis at the beginning of the season, you were, you went, you were up there and said basically that he’s *** guy that we want to model after. He’s the, the type of person we want to bring into Sacramento, and now *** couple of months later, here we are. What changed? No, well, first of all, and he is those, he’s competitive, he’s tough. He was all those things, I think like you said, like as we, the season unfolded and you just see the fit didn’t work. And so that that happens sometimes, you know, so it has nothing to do. He didn’t change as *** person at all. Like I said, he, he did what he was capable of doing. Uh, unfortunately for him and us, we had *** lot of our guys that we thought we were gonna play with missed *** lot of time too. So, uh, then you pivot, and I think that’s one of the big things, most important things in this position is being able to recognize the ability to pivot of things you’re doing and I thought we pivoted, uh, fairly painlessly in doing that, and so we moved forward. Second one for you is, what’s the future of Demata Sabonis with the organization? Well, he’s here. He’s the Sacramento King right now, so that’s, that’s his future. We expect, we haven’t been able to really watch him much this year. Like I mentioned, he’s played 33 games. I mean, he’s missed 33 games, so it’s about 1718 games this year that he’s been able to play. So, uh, looking forward to hopefully having him out there enough, uh, the remaining part of the season. To see, see how he fits. I had *** great deal of respect for him coming in. That has not changed from my perspective. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him not only as *** basketball player but as *** young man, and I’ve enjoyed that time with him. So his future is with the Kings right now. Hey, good morning, Scott. Uh, this is the 3rd year in *** row, 1st under your front office that the Kings have found an undrafted player and elevated them to *** full-time roster spot. With the strain of the CBA, with the strain of the salaries that are on the books, how important is it with the back end of finding those guys and developing them? And can you speak to. Uh, the process that’s gone on between you and Stockton and the front offices working together to come out with these positive players. Obviously. I can’t, I can’t comment on what preceded me. I, I, I recognize that and that’s *** tremendous job, uh, but I think it’s extremely important where we are today because as you mentioned and uh. The best way to improve your team is usually through the draft, and that But when you draft young players, it takes time to develop. Drafting them is one thing, developing is another. And in Dilla’s case, he goes through and he’s not one of the 60 guys picked. Kudos to Our scouting staff, we quickly pivoted to him. I think we were the only team that offered him *** two-way. Everybody else was talking about exhibit tens for him. Um, and so. We saw something in him Now, when he came in. He bought in. He’s continued to work extremely hard. His time with Stockton, uh, was excellent, you know, kudos to, uh, Gabe Harris, who’s the GM of our Stockton Kings, Will Scott, the head coach, um, Jason Max Seal, who’s an assistant coach, *** former big man that I drafted years ago in Detroit. So there’s *** mission to what we want our big men to look like. And so, um, We want him to be tough, physical, and Jason has done *** great job with him in terms of the the mental aspect of that with him. Um, there’s been *** lot of drilling going on with him to improve his free throw shooting. You know, he’s he’s got *** long way to go as an offensive player, but that’s OK. I worked with *** guy for years in Detroit who never was considered quote unquote *** great offensive player, but he was impactful offensively because you had to block him out and that was Ben Wallace every time, but he was one of the, he was elite rebounder, led the league in rebounding, and one of the best shot blockers and his toughness and his energy. Permeated the roster, the more talented guys and so. Dylan, I’m not sitting here saying that Dylan is Ben Wallace today, but he, he’s doing some of the things that you’d like to see from *** great defensive big. He’s just starting, he’s just scratching the surface, so now it’s incumbent upon both us and him. To keep getting better and not just feel good that he just signed his contract yesterday to become *** full-time NBA player. Now what do you take it from here? How great do you want to become? And sometimes that’s It can be *** great fortune for *** team in the front office when you can get *** guy who was undrafted, you know, like I said, I, I use the example because I lived with him so long when Ben Wallace was an undrafted player and uh we had *** couple on that team that uh that we ultimately won the championship with. So just because *** guy’s not drafted doesn’t mean he can’t make it, but you gotta get The right person mindset, and then you got to do your job as an organization and pouring into them and developing not only their skills, but again their mindset and approach to becoming the best NBA player they can become. Hi Scott, how are you today? Hey, how you doing? Oh, I have *** couple questions for you as well. Um, talking about patience, um, this is *** city that’s been asked many, many times every year over the years to, to be patient. Um, what do you say, you know, to fans, just, uh, to fans to really the organization about the importance of that, how you achieve it, and, and really maybe most importantly, how do you achieve that in an organization where. Patience and prudence has been lacking at times. Well, I think if, if they take *** step back and look around the league at some of the teams now that maybe are at the top of the league or consistently competing to win championships that Very few, I, I, I, I don’t know of any what I call overnight successes that somebody comes in here and in 9 months, all of *** sudden they’re *** championship team. You’re talking years of drafting, developing, trading, guys working, not working. There’s *** lot of moving parts. So, uh, and I understand the frustration of the fan base, you know, again, you know, we’re in *** society of people want things now, you want to win, but what I would submit is that What we’re doing again is we’re not gonna just chase shiny objects for, for the sake of doing it or make deals for the sake of it to say, oh we’re, you know, to try to stay in the middle. What we, this process that takes *** little longer with the drafting and developing, uh, is *** more solid foundation in my opinion. You know, it’s not ***. We’re not trying to become *** team that’s Hanging in the playing realm every year. Because that comes frustrating too. You get *** lot of people in that, that are in that with that middle area and you’ve heard this *** lot in sports. That’s probably the worst place to be when you’re just stuck in the middle because you have no way of ascending and you have *** quicker way of falling back too. And so that lends *** lot of frustration in my opinion. So uh We’re going to do this the right way because once again, once we get there. Then I want this fan base to be able to enjoy *** sustained presence, maybe in the playoff basketball versus OK, let’s get here one time. You know, everybody cheered for the one year and then you’re gone again. OK, and, and, you know, the other side of that question was, you know, not just the fans, but, but within the organization, how do you achieve that and, and from top to bottom, and then, you know, along those lines, like how does it kind of impact the way you look at, um, Doug’s job, for instance, in, in terms of what he’s doing and, and how you build this roster over time internally for when, when I took this job that that was. The big discussion point for me is that everybody would have to buckle up and be willing to row in the same direction, stay in the boat together, go through the difficult times, and so that’s why I’m here because there’s an alignment from ownership to all of the key stakeholders in the organization. So I’m comfortable with that. They get it, they understand it. You know, look, the competitor in this all would like to. Walk out from the arena every night and into the locker room with *** win, but that’s not happening right now. We got, you know, we. And so That’s, that’s where that is at. And the second part of your question was about Doug. Oh well, well, you know, look, I, I’ve said many times, this is Doug’s first year as *** coach. Um, I really enjoyed working with him, his energy, his passion, not only for the game, um, and to get better as *** coach, but he, he has ***, um. Passion for this community, as you know, I mean, he was *** *** star player on this team years ago and, and, and extremely invested in the community. Now that’s, but knowing him being the first, there’s *** lot of learning that goes into that, and I think he’d be the first to tell you he’s right in the midst of *** learning curve, being *** head coach, and that’s not just. Coach of the game. That’s managing the staff, that’s working with front office, that’s, all those things. So, uh, but he’s he’s approached it with the The appropriate um. Mindset or demeanor, I would say and uh and so, but nobody wants to win more games than him and uh I hope he wins as many games as he can this year. I really do. I know people will say, oh well, you know, it might affect your draft status or whatever the case may be, but I’m *** believer wherever. When you get to the lottery There’s luck involved, as we all know, and it’s, you know, dependent upon where your percentages lie and um. Just hopefully, you know, when we get there this year. Um, We’ll get some good fortune. Scott, you’ve been doing this for *** long time, so you know how the rumor mill works and everything. Over the past 67 weeks, maybe even before that, one name that consistently was linked to you both here locally and nationally was Jonathan Kainga. Obviously *** deal didn’t get done, but was there much substance to those rumors? And if so, do you feel you got, you were close to getting *** deal done? Well, one thing I don’t want to do is talk about *** player now that’s on another roster, didn’t get traded for. So, uh, other than to say we, we obviously had interest in the player this summer, um, and I’m gonna have to leave it at that now because I don’t want to get into. The minutia of different conversations with different organizations because you guys have to remember. I gotta be um be back here in *** few months. Dealing with all these teams again in terms of whether trades to be made and things of that nature, and it’s important for All of my peers to know and understand that conversations like that are kept. Private because if not, then I won’t be able to do my job moving forward and they won’t want to do their jobs with me because they’re worried about Scott’s gonna get up there and tell it all, so no, but uh But I, I, you know, I just acknowledged from the summertime, you know, obviously there was some interest. Scott, you, you just talked about Doug *** little bit, but, um, there was *** report from ESPN last month about his job being safe. And are you expecting him to, to be your coach going into next season too? I’m expecting to be my coach till I tell you anything different, so. So I, I, you know, I’m not even thinking along those lines right now. I’m just, I want to see us get incrementally better each day, our young players, and I want to see him continue to prove as *** coach. But um, so yeah, I’m not. Uh, here to talk anymore about, you know, Doug’s plight other than behind him and I expect him to continue to grow and improve and, and be the coach here for the Kings. Just what’s your viewpoint on Zach Levine and his status with the organization and, and what would you like to see from him going forward? Zach’s *** pro. Uh, I’ve enjoyed getting *** chance to know him. Obviously he’s *** guy that’s *** very capable scorer in this league, um, and he’s he’s done it for *** long time. So, um, like anybody else, we’ll continue to evaluate him and and and his presence here with the organization, but in terms of just his daily professionalism, and wanting to help the team win, he’s checked that box, and we just haven’t won enough, and I think he would tell you the same thing. He’s disappointed in that, as we all are. Talked *** lot coming into the year about. The importance of building an identity. Um, where do you feel like, obviously the season hasn’t gone the way you expected, as you mentioned, but where do you feel like you’re at in that process and what are the continued steps from this point? Quite frankly, not for sure. It’s definitely not complete. It’s, it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s inconsistent at best. That’s probably the, the nicest way I can put it from where I sit. Um, we’ve shown signs of the type of defensive team I’d like us to be and competing in other times. We haven’t shown it at all. Offensively, we’ve shown signs of, you know, again, you hear me talk about team-oriented and sharing the ball when the ball’s really moving and we’re playing with good pace and, and, uh, and sharing the game, but then at times that we’re not. So, uh, that’s still *** work in progress. It is my hope that after these last 30 games, um, So that we could be further along in that process as we exit this year and enter into next season. And rotation we’ve seen lean towards *** little bit more recently. He said something that you’re in alignment with. How much are you encouraging that and something we could expect moving forward? I think it’s very important when you talk about where we’re at now, uh, I think it would be *** little We misss of us as an organization. If we don’t develop the young guys at this stage of the year, we’re, we’re not in playoff contention. Uh, now I expect our veteran players and players that play *** lot of minutes to be ready to play and compete with this, you know, the level of professionalism that we require, but they also, they’ve been around the league long enough to understand it’s, it’s important for us to grow these guys cause these guys are gonna be an important part of the foundation that we establishing here as we move forward. So, um, I want to see Nick Clifford, um, uh, Maxine Renaul and Dylan Caldwell, and then, you know, Keegan Murray has been in the league *** couple of years, but he’s in that young bucket when he comes back to see how they can start to grow together. Uh, Devin Carter, who hasn’t played much, give him an opportunity to showcase and see if he’s someone that’s, you know, gonna move forward with this as well, so. I think most organizations in this situation, um, that have aspired again to build that culture and that sustainable winning, you, you see that you’ll see that kind of pivot. Scott, you mentioned that this is the last stretch in the NBA season. I mean, how do you guys balance putting, you know, *** competitive team in this last stretch if you guys are considering looking forward in the 2027, 2028 season, um, you know, what are you guys defining yourselves right now in this last stretch of the NBA season? Oh, we always want to compete and I, I think you say you’re gonna play. That you’re not going to be competitive. In some ways they’re going to bring more energy on *** team that’s not winning, maybe maybe more so than even your established guys. So no, we want to compete and I want to win as many games as we can, you know, because I think it’s important for the mental health of the organization and for the locker room that the guys. Can play 48 minutes and come in that locker room with some wins and not all losses. That’s, that’s important as you build. I, I’ve never subscribed to and we’re not doing this, so let’s be clear on that, to what I would call institutionalizing losing. No, that’s, that’s *** not, yeah, no, that’s that, that’s not in our vocabulary, tanking institution. You’re not going to see *** team that’s going to go out here these final 30 games and say we’re trying to lose. Absolutely not. Because again, the lottery, you know, the lottery system itself, look, the team that won it last year was in the, had the 11th. Best odds, Dallas. They weren’t trying to lose last year. And they won it. And that, and I think in the last 2025 years, what, 34 times, the team with the worst record won the lottery. So Uh, there’s no guarantee. It’s, it’s not like football. If you had the worst record, you’re gonna get the number one pick. So, uh, no, we, that is, we wanna compete. This, this again, to Brendan’s, uh, point about establishing the identity and, and culture. You know, competitive and tough is, is part of that. So we would never suggest that to, to the guys in the locker room that we don’t want to compete, we don’t want to win. No, that’s, that’s not uh. That’s not in our purview. Scott, um, we’re past the deadline now. Is this the, the group of veterans on this team? Do you think they’re gonna finish the season, or are you going to look at the buyout market and, and see if, you know, maybe you have one or two of these guys go away? No, I, I expect, um. I expect the veterans to be here with us to the conclusion of the season. I expect them. To play to the best of their ability, uh, when called upon, and I expect them to mentor to the best of their ability when they’re not in the game. And, uh, so no, I, I expect them all to be here. Everyone, thank you, Scott. Thank you. Tony, how you doing, man? You good, man? Good to see you.
‘Prudent and patient’: Sacramento Kings GM addresses trade deadline decision making
Updated: 6:03 PM PST Feb 6, 2026
The NBA’s trade deadline came and went on Thursday with the Sacramento Kings only pulling off one transaction, despite only having 12 wins through the season’s first 52 games.During a lengthy press conference on Friday morning, Kings general manager Scott Perry addressed that lone deal, a three-team trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls that was executed back on Sunday, to send out Dennis Schröder, Keon Ellis and Dario Saric to land 6-foot-7 forward De’Andre Hunter.“De’Andre is a very proven two-way player in this league, and he’s not an old player,” Perry said. “He allows us to defend at a high level. He’s exhibited that throughout his career. He’s been a very good shooter from the perimeter. I know his numbers were a little down this current season coming out of Cleveland, but there’s enough historical data that leads me to believe that he can be helpful to us.”Perry, who is in his first season as general manager in Sacramento, also discussed the reasons those players were traded, how he sees the future for his roster and head coach Doug Christie, as well as not pulling the trigger on other trades ahead of the deadline.While explaining his view of how he approached the trade deadline and seeing the results of the work that went into the decisions made as they move forward, Perry continued to preach patience with the approach in turning the Kings’ fortunes around.“We’re at the extreme early stages of laying the foundation here,” Perry said. “You’ve heard the phrase from me, prudent and patient. That’s how it has to be if you want to create a foundation of sustainable winning like what we want to do. We’re not going to do anything out of panic.“We’re happy about where we are coming out of the deadline. We’re looking forward to seeing how young players continue to grow from this point on, and so hopefully we can gain some momentum coming out of the season as we prepare for next season.”While Kings fans may have voiced disappointment over the lack of additional player movement ahead of the trade deadline, Sacramento fan-favorite Dylan Cardwell was upgraded to a full-time roster spot as result of the three-team deal. The 24-year-old rookie from Auburn was rewarded with an NBA contract after serving in a two-way role, where he split time with G League Stockton.“He’s able to protect the rim, he’s a switchable center big man, he can guard guys away from the basket as well,” Perry said about Cardwell. “He’s an excellent rebounder, one of the top rebounders for the minutes he’s played as a rookie already and we just continue to see a very great trajectory for him.”Cardwell is one of several young pieces that the Kings will continue develop in the remaining 30 games of the season. Perry said just because they plan to develop and provide opportunity to players deeper into the roster, the expectation is to still win and compete. He will not support a losing culture even if it could help their position in the NBA Draft Lottery in May, he said. “We want to compete and I want to win as many games as we can,” he said. “And we’re not doing this, let’s be clear on that, to what I would call, ‘institutionalizing losing’, no. That’s not in our vocabulary, ‘tanking’, you’re not going to see a team that’s going to go out here these remaining 30 games and say ‘we trying to lose’, absolutely not.”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 NBA’s trade deadline came and went on Thursday with the Sacramento Kings only pulling off one transaction, despite only having 12 wins through the season’s first 52 games.
During a lengthy press conference on Friday morning, Kings general manager Scott Perry addressed that lone deal, a three-team trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls that was executed back on Sunday, to send out Dennis Schröder, Keon Ellis and Dario Saric to land 6-foot-7 forward De’Andre Hunter.
“De’Andre is a very proven two-way player in this league, and he’s not an old player,” Perry said. “He allows us to defend at a high level. He’s exhibited that throughout his career. He’s been a very good shooter from the perimeter. I know his numbers were a little down this current season coming out of Cleveland, but there’s enough historical data that leads me to believe that he can be helpful to us.”
Perry, who is in his first season as general manager in Sacramento, also discussed the reasons those players were traded, how he sees the future for his roster and head coach Doug Christie, as well as not pulling the trigger on other trades ahead of the deadline.
While explaining his view of how he approached the trade deadline and seeing the results of the work that went into the decisions made as they move forward, Perry continued to preach patience with the approach in turning the Kings’ fortunes around.
“We’re at the extreme early stages of laying the foundation here,” Perry said. “You’ve heard the phrase from me, prudent and patient. That’s how it has to be if you want to create a foundation of sustainable winning like what we want to do. We’re not going to do anything out of panic.
“We’re happy about where we are coming out of the deadline. We’re looking forward to seeing how young players continue to grow from this point on, and so hopefully we can gain some momentum coming out of the season as we prepare for next season.”
While Kings fans may have voiced disappointment over the lack of additional player movement ahead of the trade deadline, Sacramento fan-favorite Dylan Cardwell was upgraded to a full-time roster spot as result of the three-team deal. The 24-year-old rookie from Auburn was rewarded with an NBA contract after serving in a two-way role, where he split time with G League Stockton.
“He’s able to protect the rim, he’s a switchable center big man, he can guard guys away from the basket as well,” Perry said about Cardwell. “He’s an excellent rebounder, one of the top rebounders for the minutes he’s played as a rookie already and we just continue to see a very great trajectory for him.”
Cardwell is one of several young pieces that the Kings will continue develop in the remaining 30 games of the season.
Perry said just because they plan to develop and provide opportunity to players deeper into the roster, the expectation is to still win and compete. He will not support a losing culture even if it could help their position in the NBA Draft Lottery in May, he said.
“We want to compete and I want to win as many games as we can,” he said. “And we’re not doing this, let’s be clear on that, to what I would call, ‘institutionalizing losing’, no. That’s not in our vocabulary, ‘tanking’, you’re not going to see a team that’s going to go out here these remaining 30 games and say ‘we trying to lose’, absolutely not.”
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