Clippers hire former NBA Executive of the Year

The LA Clippers are adding another cook to their kitchen.

Ex-Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair is joining the front office of the Clippers in an advisor role, Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Monday. The move comes just two months after McNair and the Kings agreed to part ways after four-and-a-half years together.

McNair became the GM for Sacramento in Sept. 2020. He had his moments with the team, namely, building the 2022-23 Kings that earned the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2006 and their first division title since 2003. But McNair also had some forgettable moves, including trading away Tyrese Haliburton (who is now in the NBA Finals with the Indiana Pacers) and getting a fairly underwhelming return earlier this year in trading away De’Aaron Fox.

Also a longtime former front office figure for the Houston Rockets (from 2007-20), McNair won NBA Executive of the Year with the Kings in 2023. McNair did have some big reported issues with Sacramento owner Vivek Ranadive though, and now he is returning to a more complementary role in the front office of the Clippers.

The Clippers, who are currently led by president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, are facing an interesting offseason themselves. They improbably won 50 games this season but then lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets. Now the Clippers have to decide how to better complement their roster around an aging James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.

In recent days, the Clippers have been linked to a potential major swing on the trade market. Now they are adding McNair to the mix to help them navigate the road ahead.