TITLE: Kings GM Scott Perry Leans on “Six Pillars” and Steelers Blueprint as Sacramento Enters Crucial Rebuild
SLUG: kings-gm-perry-six-pillars-steelers-blueprint-rebuild
CONTENT:
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Less than a year after arriving as general manager, Scott Perry has placed the Sacramento Kings on a wholesale reconstruction path built around what he calls “six pillars” — competitiveness, toughness, discipline, accountability, teamwork and professionalism. The overhaul follows years of instability and comes with a model borrowed directly from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFL franchise Perry visited with coach Doug Christie and assistant general manager B.J. Armstrong in August at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
Trying to copy a culture that wins
Perry’s 15-year friendship with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin helped secure three days of open access to position meetings and practice sessions. “I sat in on offensive line, defensive back and quarterback meetings,” Christie recalled, noting the trip’s goal was to expose Kings leaders to an organization that has posted 19 straight non-losing seasons.
A franchise stuck in reverse
Owner Vivek Ranadivé has cycled through five front offices and eight head coaches since purchasing the club in 2013. Sacramento is on pace to miss the postseason for the 19th time in 20 years and, at 8-29, holds the NBA’s 28th-ranked defense and 29th-ranked offense. Perry, 62, was hired in April with full decision-making authority after the latest turmoil that included:
- A 2024 summer push by Ranadivé to acquire DeMar DeRozan, costing a 2032 unprotected first-round swap and a three-year, $74 million contract.
- The firing of coach Mike Brown in December 2024 after a 13-18 start, a move made without consulting franchise guard De’Aaron Fox.
- Fox’s subsequent trade request and departure in a three-team deal that brought in Zach LaVine, whose contract still carries two seasons and $96.4 million.
- The ouster of executive of the year Monte McNair moments after a 2025 play-in loss to Dallas.
Roster challenges and key injuries
Several expensive veteran deals now crowd the balance sheet: Domantas Sabonis (three years, $136.4 million), Malik Monk (three years, $60.5 million) and LaVine. Sabonis has not played since mid-November because of a meniscus issue, and top young forward Keegan Murray will miss at least three weeks after spraining his left ankle Sunday against Milwaukee.
Veteran additions Dennis Schröder (three years, $45 million) and Russell Westbrook (one-year minimum) were signed for locker-room leadership. Westbrook has since replaced Schröder as starting point guard, winning praise for his work habits and vocal presence.
Trade-deadline positioning
Rival executives say Perry has made everyone except Murray and recent draft picks Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud available in conversation. Contract size limits immediate flexibility, and Perry emphasized he will be “prudent and opportunistic,” not reactive.
Sacramento owns the NBA’s third-worst record, giving the club a 52.1 percent chance at a top-four pick in the 2026 draft — an asset Perry values highly. The Kings tried to sign 6-foot-7 forward Jonathan Kuminga last summer and remain interested should Golden State move him after Jan. 15. Guard Keon Ellis, on a $2.3 million expiring deal, has also drawn leaguewide interest.
Christie’s trial run on the bench
Christie, elevated to head coach the day Brown was dismissed, is in the first season of a three-year contract with a team option on the final year. Despite the record, Perry has publicly backed the first-time coach, who has not hesitated to challenge veterans about effort and adherence to the six-pillar standard.
“We have to get younger,” Perry said, outlining a multiyear rebuild aimed at restoring relevance to a franchise that last won a playoff series in 2004.
Source: ESPN
