The Sacramento Kings and Dave Joerger are getting close to a deal that would make the former Memphis Grizzlies their new head coach, according to a report.
The Kings have interviewed a cornucopia of coaching candidates, but they seem most serious about Joerger, who got into the mix after being fired by the Grizzlies on Saturday. Joerger’s agent had asked permission for his client to interview with the Kings. In response, Memphis decided to finally terminate the relationship, making Joerger available for hire.
According to Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Kings picked Joerger and then the rest of his family up on a private jet and flew them in to Northern California, indicating their seriousness in his candidacy. The two sides reportedly have discussed a three-year deal for around $4 million per season.
Joerger and Kings GM Vlade Divac have spent a lot of time together during the meetings, per the report. The Kings reportedly would give Joerger the ability to hire his own coaching staff.
Given how quickly things have progressed from the time Joerger was fired for asking permission to interview with the Kings to now, it sure seems like Sacramento made it clear to the coach that they were highly interested in hiring him.
The Grizzlies were 147-99 in three seasons under Joerger. They reached the playoffs all three seasons and advanced to the second round last season. The Kings have gone through five coaches since the 2011-2012 season.
