Sacramento Kings could pursue these coaches if they don’t keep Doug Christie (2025)

The fate of interim Kings coach Doug Christie is the first big decision Scott Perry will make as the team’s new general manager.

The Kings officially announced the hiring of Perry on Monday. He will be introduced during a press conference Wednesday at Golden 1 Center.

Christie is believed to be well positioned to keep his job after leading the Kings to a 27-24 record over the final 51 games despite dealing with significant injuries and major roster changes after the NBA trade deadline. There has been some speculation that the Kings have already decided to keep Christie — and that was surely discussed during negotiations with Perry — but there has been no formal announcement.

Christie, who played for the Kings from 2000-05, made it clear how much he wants the job after the season ended with a 120-106 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA play-in tournament. He is driven by a sense of unfinished business 23 years after Sacramento’s championship hopes were dashed with a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the 2002 Western Conference finals.

“This is where I want to be,” Christie said. “I think you guys know that. I need to finish what I started.”

Christie’s love for Kings fans and loyalty to the organization are unquestionable, but there are proven head coaches and promising assistants available if the team chooses to conduct a search.

The Memphis Grizzlies had a 44-29 record when they fired Taylor Jenkins on March 28 with nine games remaining in the regular season. Jenkins had a 250-214 record in six seasons with the Grizzlies, including a trip to the Western Conference semifinals.

The Denver Nuggets fired Michael Malone on April 8 with only three games left in the regular season. Malone, who led Denver to its first NBA championship two years ago, amassed a 510-394 (.564) record over 10 seasons with the Nuggets.

Malone coached the Kings in 2013-14 before being fired 24 games into his second season. A return to Sacramento is highly unlikely given his resentment toward Kings owner Vivek Ranadive. However, the Kings could consider Malone’s replacement, interim coach David Adelman, whose father, Rick Adelman, led Sacramento to eight consecutive playoff appearances from 1999-2006.

Another coach who recently became available is Mike Budenholzer, who was fired by the Phoenix Suns on April 14. He was dismissed one year into a five-year, $50 million contract after the Suns went 36-46, failing to make the playoffs with the highest payroll in the NBA.

Budenholzer is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year who led the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA championship in 2021. He has a career record of 520-363 (.447).

Other former head coaches the Kings could consider include James Borrego, Steve Clifford, Mike D’Antoni, Mark Jackson, Terry Stotts, Frank Vogel and Monty Williams.

Borrego is currently working as an assistant with the New Orleans Pelicans. He has a 148-183 (.447) record as a head coach, including 30 games as interim coach of the Orlando Magic and four seasons with the Charlotte Hornets.

Clifford has also coached the Hornets and Magic. He has a record of 340-461 (.424) over 10 seasons.

D’Antoni, a two-time Coach of the Year, has been out of the league since 2021. He has a 672-527 (.560) record with 10 playoff appearances over 16 seasons as a head coach.

Jackson compiled a 121-109 (.526) record with two playoff appearances in three seasons as head coach of the Golden State Warriors from 2011-14. He was a candidate for the job in Sacramento when the Kings hired Mike Brown in 2022.

Stotts is currently serving as Steve Kerr’s lead assistant with the Warriors. He has a 517-486 (.515) record with nine playoff appearances over 13 seasons as a head coach with the Atlanta Hawks, Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers.

Vogel won an NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020. He has a 480-422 (.532) record over 12 seasons with the Indiana Pacers, Magic, Lakers and Suns.

Williams was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2022. He has a 381-404 (.485) record over 10 seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets, Suns and Detroit Pistons.

In addition to David Adelman, other assistant coaches who could receive consideration include Sam Cassell, Lindsey Harding and Micah Nori.

This story was originally published April 22, 2025 at 3:34 PM.