Sacramento made the decision to retain the head coach. Here are the reasons why.
The Sacramento Kings will not be in the market for a new head coach.
Doug Christie will maintain his job with the franchise, first reported by Sam Amick of The Athletic Sunday morning.
Most fans began wondering if Christie was safe despite a disastrous season, which including losing a franchise record 16 straight at one point.
"With the Kings (22-59) falling well short of their internal expectations, and league-wide speculation that they might move on from Christie at season’s end, the decision has been made to continue forward with the 55-year-old, first-time head coach," Amick wrote.
The head coach went from fan favorite to media commentator, to stretching beyond his first season as head coach.
"Christie, a former King who remains a fan favorite, took over for the fired Mike Brown on an interim basis in late December of 2024 and signed a three-year deal last summer. As The Athletic previously reported, that contract includes two guaranteed seasons (approximately $2 million annually) and a team option for the 2027-28 campaign that would include a significant raise if it was exercised," Amick said.
So what factors led to the Kings retaining Christie?
"While Christie’s Kings were bad from the start — a league-worst 12-46 on Feb. 21 before going 10-13 since — there were roster realities outside of his control that had everything to do with the struggles," Amick stated. "The Kings, who have been buried by the De’Aaron Fox trade with San Antonio in February of 2025, hired longtime NBA executive Scott Perry as general manager to rebuild the roster two months after that disastrous deal and still have much work left to do on that front."
But there was one more element that persuaded another season for the Kings.
"What’s more, the rash of significant injuries to the Kings’ best players -- from Keegan Murray to Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, DeAndre Hunter and more -- made an already-challenging situation worse in the eyes of the team’s decision-makers and led to the conclusion that Christie deserves more time to prove himself in the position." Amick wrote. "As such, the choice has been made to keep Christie at the coaching helm for the start of next season and continue the evaluation from there."
The Kings still have the roster to address, and not just limited to NBA draft decisions including learning where they'll pick. Amick mentioned Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis could still be moved on the trade market, especially after the franchise struggled to deal both away ahead of February's trade deadline.
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