How the Kings Blundered Their Head Coach Situation

The Sacramento Kings are staying committed to head coach Doug Christie moving forward, and while there is still a chance for the rookie coach to improve, it is hard to deny that the franchise made a mistake.

As recent as the 2023-24 season, the Kings had Mike Brown as their head coach, with both Christie and Jordi Fernandez as assistants. Then, in the 2024 offseason, Fernandez left to take the Brooklyn Nets' head coaching job, while Brown was fired just months later.

Now, the Kings are holding onto Christie, while Brown punches his ticket to the NBA Finals with the New York Knicks, and 43-year-old Fernandez is viewed as one of the most promising coaches in the league. We can still hold out some hope for Christie, but it feels like the Kings would be in a much better position with either Brown or Fernandez in his position.

Did the Kings blunder their HC position?

Apr 10, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie looks on against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Before Fernandez left for Brooklyn, there were already some fans who wanted him to replace Brown as the Kings' head coach. He is more than a decade younger than both Brown and Christie, and seemingly has much more potential to be one of the league's top coaches down the line.

Of course, on paper, Fernandez has not done a great job in Brooklyn with a 46-118 record through two seasons, but that Nets roster is far worse than the Kings', putting the talented coach in a tough position.

While it was hard for the Kings to commit to Fernandez while Brown was still employed, it would have been the right decision. The Kings started the following season with a 13-18 record, leading to the firing of Brown. That felt like a surprising decision, but if the front office already had a feeling Brown was not going to last in Sacramento, they should have fired him in the offseason to allow Fernandez to take over.

After winning the Eastern Conference Finals and clinching a spot in the NBA Finals, Brown even felt it was appropriate to thank Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé for firing him and giving him the opportunity to join the Knicks.

“I’ve got to thank Vivek Ranadivé for giving me an opportunity,” Brown said after the Knicks' ECF-clinching win over the Cleveland Cavaliers (via The Sacramento Bee). “Obviously, it didn’t work out.”

Vivek Ranadivé greets Mike Brown in his return to G1C 🤝 pic.twitter.com/8eoaqMoAzQ
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 15, 2026

The timing of everything was very off, as the Kings lost their two best coaches in the span of just a few months, leaving Christie at the helm.

After taking over for Brown as interim head coach, Christie finished with a 27-24 record, but followed it up with fewer wins in a full 82-game season, with a disappointing 22-60 record. Granted, the Kings' roster was also in a tough spot as they dealt with numerous injuries and a rebuilding mindset from the front office, giving Christie some leeway.

Overall, the Kings are not in the worst position, as we can still hold out hope for Christie as he enters his second full season. However, it is grueling to watch Brown make a trip to the Finals in his first season with the Knicks, while the Kings are coming off one of their worst years in franchise history.

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