The Sacramento Kings entered this year with those high-flying 2023 playoff dreams, but man, things just fell apart. We’re looking at a 22-win season, a team currently buried 15 games out of the play-in, and yet—here we are—the front office is keeping the guy in charge. Multiple reports confirmed via Misryoum that Doug Christie isn’t going anywhere.
It’s a tough look for a franchise that seems stuck in the lottery cycle, but the consensus around the league is that you can’t really pin this mess on the coach. I mean, look at the roster. Someone told me recently—actually, they told the team at Misryoum—that it’s impossible to even judge Christie’s ability because the talent deck he was dealt was so thin. He took the reins midseason in 2025 after Mike Brown’s exit, right before the whole thing imploded with the De’Aaron Fox trade demand.
There was the smell of stale arena popcorn and frustration in the air during those late-season blowouts, but Christie kept the group focused on the kids. That’s probably the biggest factor here. The front office—and specifically owner Vivek Ranadive—really liked how rookies like Maxime Raynaud and Nique Clifford grew under his watch. Development has to count for something, right? Or maybe the ownership is just playing the long game with a guy they trust.
He’s a former Kings player, he’s got the fan base behind him, and honestly, the financial side of it is pretty clear too. Christie signed a three-year deal last summer, and the money for next season is already guaranteed. Why pay him to sit at home?
So, Christie stays. Whether he’s coaching a rebuild or a retooling, he’s the guy. It feels like a weird move given the standing, but I guess continuity is the goal. For now.
Actually, wait—the roster construction is the real headache. The injuries, the veteran trades, the constant flux. You look at how the team looked this year compared to expectations and it’s night and day, but that’s just how it goes in Sacramento sometimes.