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The Sacramento Kings and Doug Christie are finalizing a multiyear contract for the interim coach to become the franchise's next full-time head coach, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
Christie, 54, took over for 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown on the sidelines in Sacramento after owner Vivek Ranadive and general manager Monte McNair decided to move on from Brown after 31 games. The interim coach immediately earned the trust of his locker room, and they went 27-24 this season under Christie's leadership.
As a result, the Kings finished the 2024-25 season with a 40-42 record, earning the 9-seed in the Western Conference play-in tournament. Under Christie's leadership, the Kings won 20 of their first 31 games.
Sacramento ranked ninth in offensive efficiency in Christie's 54 games and went 13-10 in clutch-time games, compared to 6-13 earlier in the season with Brown, according to ESPN.
Ultimately, the Kings fell short of making the playoffs after losing their first play-in game to the Dallas Mavericks.
After recently parting ways with McNair and replacing him with Scott Perry as the team's new general manager, Perry ultimately decided to keep Christie in the Kings' long-term plans.
At first, Perry was undecided on Christie's future with the organization. When the new general manager was introduced, he made it clear while he had met with Christie, he planned on meeting with and discussing the head coach opening with others around the league before coming to a conclusion.
Due to the support Christe received from the players and locker room, as well as his familiarity with the organization dating back to his playing days, Perry and Ranadive ultimately decided it was in their best interest to keep Christie as the head coach.
Kings' future with Doug Christie
With a decision on Christie's future with the organization made, the Kings will now turn their attention to figuring out what the future of their roster looks like.
Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray, and Malik Monk are all under contract for the 2025-26 season. Sacramento has a total of 10 players under contract for next season, and they carry a current projected payroll of $170.2 million, roughly $25.6 million below the first apron. Trey Lyles is the team's only notable free agent.
There is a path to the Kings being aggressive this offseason in search of more talent, but they won't have a first-round pick in the draft unless their lottery pick moves into the top four. The Kings only have a 3.4% chance of being awarded a top-four pick in the draft, otherwise, their pick goes to the Atlanta Hawks.
Both Sabonis and Monk have made their intentions of staying in Sacramento clear, yet everyone wants clarity on what the direction of the organization is. DeRozan is another player seeking clarity after stating this was the most confusing and toughest season of his career.
“It's probably the most I've been through in my 16-year career,” the veteran star said after the Kings' play-in loss to Dallas. “The season we had was a lot. It’s too hard to fathom right now.”
The Kings have missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons after ending their 17-year playoff drought in 2023.
