The Sacramento Kings experienced one of the longest playoff droughts in the history of sports before landing Mike Brown as their coach. Now, after being a playoff contender in consecutive seasons, it appears increasingly likely that the Kings could lose Brown after next season.
From 2006-’22, Sacramento never made the playoffs after parting ways with legendary coach Rick Adelman following a first-round playoff exit, the franchise experienced nearly two decades of losing seasons Before the Kings hired brown in 2022, they had gone through seven head coaches including Eric Musselman (2006-’07), Reggie Theus (2007-’09), Paul Westphal (2009-’11), Mike Maline (2013-’15), George Karl and Luke Walton (2019-’22).
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- Mike Brown coaching record: 94-70 with the Sacramento Kings (.573 winning percentage)
During that span, Sacramento never won more than 39 games in a season and its winning percentage was never eclipsed .480. Following Brown’s arrival, the Kings went 48-34 and made the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2006
Sacramento regressed slightly last season, keeping its roster together in a much-improved Western Conference. As a result, the Kings went 46-36 and lost in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Evidently, the results didn’t meet ownership’s expectations and that seems to be influencing contract extension talks with Brown.
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According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Kings recently made a contract extension proposal to Brown worth $21 million over three seasons. The deal, which would keep him in Sacramento through the 2026-’27 season, would be worth $27 million total if he hits all his bonuses.
Brown, who has the fourth-highest winning percentage among coaches in Kings’ history, is reportedly seeking a multi-year extension worth $10 million per year.
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For context, Detroit Pistons coach Monty Williams (.425 winning percentage) makes $13.05 million per season. If Sacramento met Brown’s asking price, the Kings’ coach would still rank well behind Steve Kerr ($17.5 million) Gregg Popovich ($16 million), Erik Spoelstra ($15 million) and Tyronn Lue ($14 million).
Brown will be one of the lowest-paid coaches in the NBA next season, earning less than $5 million and he’s been one of the lowest-paid coaches since coming to Sacramento. If Brown shuts down contract talks or the Kings are unwilling to come much closer to his asking price, he could walk after the 2024-’25 NBA season.
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