The Sacramento Kings on Friday made a surprising move.
The Kings have fired Mike Brown as their head coach. The change comes as the team has lost five in a row to drop to 13-18. The Kings have been going in the wrong direction and are 5-12 over their last 17 games.
Sacramento hired Brown in 2022, and he helped lead a huge turnaround. The team went 48-34 in his first season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2006. That turnaround from a 30-52 mark in the previous season helped Brown win Coach of the Year. Sacramento was so pleased with Brown that they had given him a 3-year contract extension in May. The deal called for Brown to make $30 million and be paid through the 2026-2027 season.
Though things had gone well for the Kings under Brown, things changed this season. The team had struggled in particular in close games, which clearly led to frustration. On Thursday, the Kings blew a 19-point lead and lost 114-113 to the Pistons. The loss occurred after De’Aaron Fox made a bad play and fouled an opponent on a 3-point shot with just seconds left in the game.
Uhmmmm De’Aaron Fox fouls Jaden Ivey on made 3PA while the Pistons were down 3 with seconds remaining.
Ivey made the FT and Detroit gets the win. Kings led by as many as 19. pic.twitter.com/6vFTdpT2E1
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) December 27, 2024
Brown had a long talk with Fox after the team’s practice on Friday, which likely came before Brown had been let go.
This moment between Kings head coach Mike Brown and De'Aaron Fox at today's practice will certainly be dissected and analyzed. pic.twitter.com/x6dYwZ1zf8
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) December 27, 2024
Interestingly, there are now trade rumors surrounding Fox.
Frustration must have been mounting to lead to this outcome. Who saw this coming just a half year after Brown signed a big extension with the Kings?
