The Sacramento Kings are parting ways with head coach Mike Brown following a poor start to the season. NBA insider Shams Charania reported the news on social media of the firing.
Brown was the 2023 NBA Coach of the Year after helping to take the Kings to the postseason for the first time since 2006. The veteran head coach was seen as the man to lead Sacramento forward for the foreseeable future but a subpar season last year started to put doubt into things around the league.
However, the Kings seemed to double down on their commitment to Brown, giving him a contract extension over the summer. Brown signed a three-year extension with the team and will be owed $25.5 million through the 2026-27 season.
But things seemed to fall off the rails this season and Sacramento hasn't looked the same. The Kings started out this season with a record of 13-18 and are currently sitting in 12th place within the Western Conference standings.
Before the Kings decided to fire Brown, the team had lost five straight games. This includes a frustrating loss to the Detroit Pistons that saw Sacramento be outscored by 15 points in the final quarter.
Around the team, there has been a lot of noise about star point guard De'Aaron Fox possibly asking out of the organization. Fox hasn't asked out as of now but many around NBA circles have started to see more smoke around this idea.
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The star point guard recently said that he would love to stay with the Kings but that he needs to see them competing. This firing of Brown could be a way for Sacramento to try and hold onto Fox for the long haul.
"But I want to make sure that we're in that position to be competing and competing at a high level for a long time, not just fighting for a playoff spot. Obviously, the way that the West is going, we have to continue to get better as players and as a team, as an organization. And, I mean, I'm not saying I'm not staying or that I am staying. But I would love to be here, and I want to make sure that we're competing at a high level."
It remains to be seen what the Kings will do with Fox but this move was a bit shocking. There had been talk of Sacramento possibly moving on from Brown but most didn't see this happening so soon.
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