The Sacramento Kings are moving forward with significant leadership changes, and interim coach Doug Christie appears poised to retain his position on the sidelines.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, while newly appointed general manager Scott Perry will influence the final decision, team sources indicate that Christie is currently well-positioned to continue as head coach.
Christie, a longtime assistant and former Kings player, stepped in midseason after Mike Brown was fired following a turbulent start to the 2024-25 campaign.
He finished the season with a 9-17 record after taking over, as Sacramento missed the playoffs for the second time in three years.
The Kings’ season ended Tuesday night with a 120-106 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament.
Shortly after the loss, the franchise began finalizing an agreement to bring back Perry, who previously served a brief stint in Sacramento’s front office in 2017.
Perry returns with over two decades of NBA executive experience, having held roles with the Pistons, SuperSonics, Magic, and most recently, the Knicks.
His hiring comes on the heels of Monte McNair’s exit after five seasons as general manager, which included a 2023 Executive of the Year award and the acquisition of Domantas Sabonis.
Despite those moves, the Kings regressed this season, finishing 40-42 and falling to the No. 9 seed in the West.
Sacramento traded away All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox at the February deadline and overhauled the roster around Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine.
With no clear long-term solution at point guard, Perry’s immediate priorities include stabilizing the roster and finalizing the coaching situation.
The Kings have now missed the playoffs in 18 of the last 19 seasons, with only a first-round appearance in 2023 breaking the streak.
