The Sacramento Kings were a moribund franchise for over a decade and a half. From 2007 to 2022, Sacramento was forced to watch playoff basketball from home as they didn’t qualify. The team has taken a turn for the better in the two seasons since Mike Brown became head coach. With just one more guaranteed year remaining (mutual option for 2025-26), the 54-year-old Brown was looking for more long-term security. Friday’s news ensured he will now receive that.
Kings, Head Coach Agree To Three-Year Extension
Mike Brown Agrees To Extension With Sacramento
As first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Brown and the Kings have agreed to a three-year extension.
Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown has agreed on a new contract that takes him through the 2026-2027 season, his agent Warren LeGarie tells ESPN. Brown, the 2022-2023 NBA Coach of the Year, gets a new deal with a significant raise.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 1, 2024
It also represents a substantial raise for Brown as the new deal takes the place of what he was scheduled to receive in 2024-25. Wojnarowski later reported that the extension will pay him $8.5 million annually. That is $4.5 million more than the $4 million his previous contract would have paid him next season.
The news comes after previous reports stated that the two sides had come to a bit of an impasse. Brown wanted to receive a deal more in line with what head coaches have been getting in recent deals. It was just a few days ago that Tyronn Lue and the Los Angeles Clippers agreed on a five-year, $70 million extension. Other recent head coaching extensions include Steve Kerr with the Golden State Warriors (two years, $35 million) and Erik Spoelstra with the Miami Heat (eight years, $120 million).
Much More Success Under Brown
As previously mentioned, the Kings did not make the playoffs for 16 straight seasons spanning from 2006-07 until 2021-22. That changed in Brown’s first year in charge the following season. Sacramento finished 2022-23 with a 48-34 record, good for third-best in the Western Conference. It was their best regular season since they went 50-32 in 2004-05. They fell just one game short of winning their first playoff series since 2004, falling to the Warriors in seven games in the opening round.
They finished this season with a similar record at 46-36. The Western Conference was much more top-heavy though, as that placed them just ninth in the conference. After defeating the Warriors in the 9-10 Play-In Tournament game, they lost to the New Orleans Pelicans in a game to determine who would be the West’s eighth seed in the playoffs.
While the Kings have made vast improvements over the last two seasons, the West doesn’t plan to be any easier next season. The Memphis Grizzlies will be getting star Ja Morant back. Victor Wembanyama should continue to improve, and the San Antonio Spurs will look to improve the roster around him. The Houston Rockets made a 19-game improvement this season, finishing with a .500 record.
Those are three teams that weren’t even able to reach the Play-In Tournament. The Kings are entering an important off-season to look to continue the growth they have shown under Brown.
