SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Despite a 22-60 record that places them at the bottom of the Western Conference, the Sacramento Kings will keep their coach Doug Christie for next season, according to team sources.
Christie took over the position in December 2024, initially as interim coach after Mike Brown was fired. The new general manager, Scott Perry, took the reins of the franchise’s decision-making last summer and gave Christie the full-time job, signing a three-year contract.
The complete first season of Christie didn’t take off in the first month. Sacramento lost its starting forward, Keegan Murray, in the preseason due to a thumb ligament injury and its starting center, Domantas Sabonis, in November due to a partial meniscus tear. The Kings stumbled to a 3-13 start and fell to a 12-46 record.
Perry and Kings management believe Christie was never given the proper opportunity with the current roster, according to team sources. The team’s projected starting five never played a minute together.
Sabonis was limited to 19 games before undergoing surgery that ended his season. Veteran scorer Zach LaVine played 39 games before undergoing surgery on his right hand, which also ended his season.
As the franchise has geared towards youth, the team has a 10-14 record in its last 24 games. Part of Sacramento’s decision to keep Christie is due to the positive development of rookie centers Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell, and the first-round pick Nique Clifford.
The winning streak has come at a slight cost to the team’s lottery chances. After Sunday’s 122-110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Kings went from having the worst record in the NBA to the fourth worst, tied with the Utah Jazz (who lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday) at 22-60.
The next big day for the franchise is lottery night, May 10, when the Kings will know exactly which pick among the top eight they will receive in a talent-packed draft.
