Latest Updates Regarding Sacramento Kings' Coaching Search

The Sacramento Kings are deep into their coaching search this offseason and seem to have narrowed their list of candidates down to just a few names.

It has been quite some time since the Sacramento Kings were a relevant team in the NBA, as the only time they have been noticed by the rest of the league over the last few seasons is when their draft pick has been announced at the NBA Draft Lottery!

The last time this franchise made the playoffs was in 2006 and since then, the Kings have been an organization in turmoil year-after-year.

The Kings fired Rick Adelman in 2006, the coach that took the team to the playoffs eight straight seasons, and since then, no coach has made it more than three seasons in Sacramento.

Now, the organization is in the midst of appointing their 12th head coach in the last 16 seasons.

Having a handful of younger, promising looking talents in De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Davion Mitchell, the Kings’ front-office does believe that they have the foundation in-place to finally put an end to their long-lasting playoff drought.

However, hiring the right coach is key and the franchise seems to be torn between who they actually want on the sideline.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Golden State Warriors’ assistant Mike Brown and former Orlando Magic/Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford are both finalists for the Sacramento Kings’ head coaching vacancy. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Shams Charania, ESPN’s and former Warriors’ coach Mark Jackson is also a finalist for the position.

It is said that Kings owner Vivek Ranadive would prefer Jackson as the next head coach of the team, but there is conflict within this front-office, as there are some reports saying that Kings’ general manager Monte McNair would prefer Brown.

In regards to Clifford, he most recently spent three seasons with the Magic from the 2018-19 season through the 2020-21 season and he took them to the playoffs twice. In eight total seasons as a head coach in the NBA, Steve Clifford has posted a 292-345 (45.8%) record.

Jackson was the head coach of the Golden State Warriors from the 2011-12 season through the 2013-14 season and began the youth movement there that has since resulted in three championships and five trips to the NBA Finals since 2015.

Brown was last a head coach in this league from 2005-2014, coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers for six seasons and the Los Angeles Lakers for basically one season, as he was fired by Los Angeles just five games into the 2012-13 campaign.

Since 2016, Mike Brown has been an assistant with the Warriors, helping them win two titles. 

There really seems to be no clear-cut answer yet as to what is going on in Sacramento regarding their coaching search, as this “feud” between management and ownership seems to be a little confusing.

The Kings and Ranadive have claimed that there is a “level playing field” and that McNair will be given the ability to make the final decision in this hiring process as the general manager, but it does not appear as if the two sides are on the same page as of right now.

How this situation plays out in Sacramento should be very telling about the power this front-office actually has, as owner Vivek Ranadive has looked to run things his way over the last several years.

GM Monte McNair is looking to change the narrative tied to this Kings franchise and the coaching search currently being conducted means everything. 

Mark Jackson, Mike Brown and Steve Clifford are all well-respected coaching candidates around the league and each bring a unique skillset to the table.

According to The Athletic, a decision on the next head coach in Sacramento is expected to be made by the week’s end.

The Sacramento Kings are coming off of a 30-52 season and currently own the seventh-best odds for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. 

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