SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Despite a 22-59 record that has them at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, the Kings are retaining coach Doug Christie for next season, team sources told ESPN on Sunday.
Christie initially stepped into the job in December 2024, serving as the interim head coach after the Kings fired Mike Brown. New general manager Scott Perry took over franchise decision-making last summer and gave Christie the full-time job, signing him to a three-year deal.
Christie’s first full season fell flat in the first month. Sacramento lost starting wing Keegan Murray in the preseason to a torn thumb ligament and starting center Domantas Sabonis in November to a partially torn meniscus. The Kings stumbled to a 3-13 start and spiraled into a 12-46 record.
Perry and Kings management believe Christie was never given a proper runway with the current roster, team sources said. Their projected starting lineup never played a minute together.
Sabonis was limited to 19 games before season-ending surgery. Veteran scorer Zach LaVine played 39 games before season-ending surgery on his right hand.
As the franchise has pivoted toward a youth movement, it has gone 10-13 in its past 23 games. Part of Sacramento’s decision to retain Christie is about the positive development of rookie centers Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell and first-rounder Nique Clifford.
The batch of wins has come at a slight cost to the team’s lottery odds. The Kings went from the NBA’s worst record to the fourth worst, tied with the Utah Jazz at 22-59 entering the final day of the regular season.
The next big day for the franchise is lottery night on May 10 when the Kings will find out exactly which top-8 selection they will receive in a loaded draft.
