The Sacramento Kings are committing to Doug Christie as their head coach with a multiyear contract. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report.
Christie has held the role on an interim basis after Mike Brown was fired in late December. The Kings started an impressive 20-11 under Christie but only went 7-13 in their next 20 games.
Midway through Christie’s first run as lead man this season, De’Aaron Fox was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, with Zach LaVine coming back from the Chicago Bulls in a three-team deal.
Sacramento finished 10th in the West at 40-42. It was 22-18 at home and 17-25 on the road.
There was speculation the Kings might look to pivot away from Christie after Scott Perry was brought in as the new general manager following Monte McNair’s departure earlier this month.
Kings Get Ball Rolling On Offseason
With the head coaching job now settled, Perry will look to address the roster through the draft, free agency and trades.
At his season-ending presser, Perry spoke of the need to address the point guard position. That statement was extremely ironic, considering the Kings had just moved Fox and also previously traded Tyrese Haliburton, who’s since blossomed into an All-NBA star.
When speaking with the media, Perry did also emphasize there won’t be a tear down of the roster. In addition to a point guard, he feels there is a need for an influx of “length and athleticism.”
How that gets accomplished remains to be seen.
There will certainly be speculation over Domantas Sabonis and whether he can truly be a winning centerpiece. DeMar DeRozan shows his athleticism on the offensive side of the ball but has always struggled defensively. The same can be said of Zach LaVine.
Two Head Coaches Remain With Interim Tag
With the official hiring of Christie, Memphis Grizzlies head coach Thomas Iisalo and Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman are the only ones remaining with interim tags.
Memphis has just begun to evaluate things with its season over after a first-round sweep. Denver will wait and see how its postseason plays out before making any decisions. The Nuggets are currently tied 2-2 with the Los Angeles Clippers in their first-round series.
