Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers are "widely expected" to consider dealing their respective draft lottery picks to make "win-now" moves, per longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein on Substack.

A rare NBA Draft rumble from your infamously draft-shy correspondent: Both Sacramento and Portland are widely expected to give serious consideration to trading the No. 4 and No. 7 overall picks, respectively, if they can concoct appealing win-now swaps. And now I’m told Washington is another top-10 team (drafting 10th overall) said to be weighing the same possibility.

The talk on the Blazers mirrors a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who spoke with an executive that believes Portland is in win-now mode.

"Rival NBA executives who spoke with HoopsHype believe the Trail Blazers will dangle the No. 7 overall pick in trade talks for an immediate roster upgrade to maximize the prime of Damian Lillard, who was on hand for a workout with a projected lottery pick, AJ Griffin," Scotto wrote.

The Kings, who finished 30-52 last season, are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

The Blazers, who ended 27-55 last year, made the postseason for eight straight years before missing out in 2021-22.

Ultimately, it's not hard to see why the Kings and Blazers want to make big moves.

For starters, the NBA draft has a clear top three of Jabari Smith Jr., Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero. Presumably, the Kings and Blazers will be left out of getting any of those prospects, although some potentially great ones will go later in the lottery, such as guards Jaden Ivey and Shaedon Sharpe and forward AJ Griffin.

From the Kings' standpoint, they've been out of the playoffs for 16 years and appear desperate for a return trip. They made a splash move before the trade deadline by adding Domantas Sabonis from the Indiana Pacers, although they had to depart with a potential superstar in Tyrese Haliburton.

Still, Sacramento has a duo to work with in Sabonis and De'Andre Fox, and Davion Mitchell looks like a good pick as well.

From the Blazers' view, they need to maximize their window around superstar point guard Damian Lillard.

Portland made a seismic change to the roster around him by trading long-time backcourt running mate CJ McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans, but the Blazers still have a potential star in Anfernee Simons. Josh Hart also fared well in limited time in Portland following the McCollum trade.

We'll see if the Kings and Blazers make any draft-related moves soon enough with the draft scheduled for Thursday, June 23 in Brooklyn, New York's Barclays Center.

The Sacramento Kings are hiring Mike Brown as their next head coach after declining to continue on with interim coach Alvin Gentry, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Brown will finish the Warriors’ playoff run before moving onto his full-time duties with the Kings, sources said.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 8, 2022

The two sides reportedly agreed to a four-year contract.

Brown has been on the Golden State Warriors' staff for the past six seasons. Before that, he spent eight years as a head coach across spells with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.

During his first run in Cleveland, the Cavs won 60 games on two occasions and reached the 2007 NBA Finals.

Sacramento fired Luke Walton in November and promoted Gentry, who had been the associate head coach.

Wojnarowski reported at the time there was more to the deal:

Sources: Alvin Gentry will become the Kings’ interim coach. Gentry is already under contract through 2022-2023, gets a raise to take interim job and agreement on some benchmarks of success rest of this season with team to try and keep job longer.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 21, 2021

While Walton's ouster was well-earned, the Kings didn't fare much better under Gentry's stewardship. They had a 6-11 record (.353) at the time of the coaching change and finished with a 24-41 (.369) mark the rest of the way.

The organization's playoff drought extended to 16 seasons.

Failing to even qualify for the play-in tournament was a tough pill to swallow given what the Kings pulled off at the trade deadline.

In perhaps the league's most puzzling midseason move, Sacramento sent Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb and Justin Holiday.

Beyond looking like a foundational piece for the Kings—he averaged 13.6 points and 6.3 assists through 109 games—Haliburton fully embraced his surroundings. He wrote for The Players' Tribune how he was left in tears upon first being told of the trade.

Sabonis is a good offensive fit next to De'Aaron Fox and wound up putting up 18.9 points and 12.3 rebounds per game with Sacramento.

But trading Haliburton for an All-Star center who's under contract for two more years was a clear sign of the front office's desire to take a clear step forward now. As The Athletic's Sam Vecenie argued, it felt like a case of misplaced priorities:

At the end of the day, big picture, you're limiting the window to two years beyond this one, where you're already not contending for a title as it is and probably still have under a 50 percent chance to make the Play-In given that you're still two games out with two teams ahead of you in the standings. You're also decreasing your odds for getting a top-four draft pick because you'll see some marginal improvement that pushes you toward the Play-In but maybe not enough to actually make it.

Failing to even muster a top-10 finish was a massive disappointment and will add further ammunition to those who questioned the trade in the first place.

I feel like a lot of people are missing the point beyond the players that Sabonis is a UFA in 2024 and Haliburton still has TWO years left on his rookie deal before he's an RFA. That's what the baseball folks refer to as having a guy under team control. Insane deal for the Kings.

— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) February 8, 2022

Looking ahead, there are at least some reasons for optimism next season with Brown at the helm.

In 11 games after the All-Star break as the unquestioned No. 1 option in the backcourt, Fox averaged 29.3 points and shot 36.8 percent from beyond the arc. His three-point shooting saw a massive uptick considering he hit only 27.1 percent of his long-range jumpers in the first half.

Davion Mitchell had an encouraging rookie year as well. He dished out 4.2 assists, and the Kings were 4.6 points per 100 possessions better on defense with him on the floor, according to NBA.com.

Considering how hard the learning curve can be for young guards, Mitchell should make some nice improvements in 2022-23.

Sabonis will have the benefit of a full offseason in Sacramento, too. Working such an important player into the flow of the offense can be difficult when a team is attempting to get its season on track, and a bruised knee took the 26-year-old center out of the lineup down the final stretch.

If nothing else, the pieces should be there for Brown to mount a much better challenge at a top-six seed in the West, guaranteeing safe passage to the first round.

Neither Mark Jackson nor Mike Brown have been offered the Sacramento Kings' head coaching job despite owner Vivek Ranadive being present at Saturday's game between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported the two candidates were unaware Ranadive was planning to be at the game. Jackson was calling the game for ESPN, and Brown is a Warriors assistant coach.

Steve Clifford, Jackson and Brown are currently considered the three finalists for the vacancy. Jackson has also interviewed for the Los Angeles Lakers' coaching job. 

Ranadive was a minority owner of the Warriors before buying the Kings, so seeing him at Chase Center wouldn't have been particularly strange if it weren't for the presence of the two candidates.

Jackson spent three years with the Warriors from 2011 to 2014, going 121-109. While he's been interviewed for several coaching jobs in the eight years since, Jackson has remained in the ESPN broadcast booth with Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen.

Brown has coached parts of eight seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. His teams have made the playoffs in six of his seven full seasons as a coach, but he also had the benefit of coaching LeBron James and Kobe Bryant during that timeframe. Brown's lone year without those superstars in place saw the Cavaliers go 33-49 and hiim get fired after one season. 

The 52-year-old has been an assistant on Steve Kerr's bench since 2016. 

The Kings are looking for their fifth full-time coach since Ranadive took over the franchise nine years ago. Dave Joerger is the only one of those coaches to last more than two-and-a-half seasons. 

The Kings have not made the playoffs since the 2005-06 season, setting an NBA record for futility. 

Golden State Warriors assistant head coach Mike Brown is ready to become head coach of the Sacramento Kings if the team makes him an offer. 

Speaking to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee, Warren LeGarie, Brown's agent, said his client would be "willing" to take the Kings job because "he knows he’ll be supported and have a chance to win."

LeGarie also laid out the reasons why Brown is optimistic about the future of the Kings. 

"First and foremost, he likes the people who are working there,” LeGarie said. "He loves the arena. He thinks that’s a natural resource that will help attract players because you’ve always got to have a place where the fans are involved and the facilities are terrific. And he believes the team has enough talent to give them a real solid chance of becoming a playoff contender."

The Athletic's Sam Amick reported Thursday that Sacramento hopes to make a final decision by the end of the week, with Brown, Brooklyn Nets consultant Steve Clifford and ESPN NBA analyst Mark Jackson among the candidates who have been interviewed. 

Per B/R's Jake Fischer, Jackson is considered the front-runner for the job and is a "favorite" of Kings chairman Vivek Ranadive. 

Jackson was Golden State's head coach for three seasons from 2011-14. He led the team to back-to-back playoff appearances in his final two seasons, but the Warriors fired him in May 2014 and replaced him with Steve Kerr. 

Brown has been on Kerr's staff since July 2016. He was originally hired to fill the assistant coach spot vacated by Luke Walton, who was hired as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Prior to being hired by the Warriors, Brown had eight seasons as a head coach between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. The Ohio native led the Cavs to their first NBA Finals appearance during the 2006-07 season. He had a 347-216 overall record with the two teams. 

Brown has served as acting head coach at times in Golden State. He went 11-0 in that role during the 2017 postseason when Kerr was unable to sit on the bench during games because of back problems. 

The Kings fired Walton in November after they got off to a 6-11 start. He went 68-93 overall in three seasons with the team. Alvin Gentry took over on an interim basis, going 24-41 before being fired April 11. 

Sacramento hasn't had a winning season or made the playoffs since 2005-06.     

The NBA named Joe Dumars the executive vice president, head of basketball operations on Monday.

The league laid out the duties of his new position:

In his new role, Dumars will oversee all Basketball Operations matters for the NBA, including the development of playing rules and interpretations, conduct and discipline, and policies and procedures relating to the operation of games. He will engage with players, coaches, team executives, officials and other key stakeholders to sustain the highest level of play and competition. Dumars will also lead the overall talent strategy for Basketball Operations and reinforce a culture of inclusivity and innovation.

Dumars had spent the last three seasons with the Sacramento Kings as their chief strategy officer.

The 58-year-old assembled a Hall of Fame resume as a player; he was inducted in 2006. A key contributor during the Detroit Pistons' Bad Boys era, he was a six-time All-Star, a five-time All-Defensive standout and a two-time NBA champion.

No Pistons player has appeared in more games than Dumars (1,018), and his 16,401 points are second all-time to former teammate Isiah Thomas.

Following the end of his playing career, the Louisiana native became the Pistons president of basketball operations in 2000. During his time in the role, Detroit had a run of six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances, winning an NBA title in 2004 and returning to the NBA Finals in 2005.

The franchise experienced a quick downturn, going six straight years without a playoff appearance starting in 2009-10. The Pistons eventually let Dumars go in 2014, declining to renew his contract.

"My life has centered on the NBA for nearly 40 years, which makes the opportunity to serve the entire league incredibly exciting and rewarding," he said of taking a job with the league office. "I’m looking forward to using my skills and experience to collaborate with all 30 teams on ways to shape the future direction of the league and help the game continue to evolve."

The Sacramento Kings are reportedly looking for a new head coach.

Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported the Kings told Alvin Gentry he is no longer the interim head coach now that the team's 2021-22 campaign is over without a playoff appearance.

Yet Gentry could remain with the team in a different role:

The Kings and Alvin Gentry are discussing a front-office role and a resolution is expected sometime this week, sources tell ESPN. Gentry has a year left on his contract.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2022

The plan is to "commence a comprehensive coaching search immediately," per Charania and Amick.

Gentry was in the interim position to close the season because Sacramento fired Luke Walton after a 6-11 start. The 2021-22 campaign was set to be Walton's third as head coach after he went 31-41 in each of his first two, but the Kings wasted little time making a move after a slow start in November.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported at the time: "The Kings are discussing potential benchmarks of success for Gentry the rest of the season that could serve as possible parameters on keeping the job on a long-term basis."

But Sacramento went just 24-41 under Gentry's watch and failed to qualify for the playoffs or play-in tournament. It is the 16th straight season the Kings have missed the playoffs, which is a far cry from when they made the postseason eight times in a row under Rick Adelman from 1998-99 through 2005-06.

Gentry has also been a head coach for the Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans and has a 534-636 career record with three playoff appearances.

While the Kings have been among the league's worst teams of late, they have some talent in place.

De'Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes and Domantas Sabonis could be the core of a playoff squad with the right surrounding pieces, and rookie Davion Mitchell flashed his potential after Sacamento selected him out of Baylor with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

Giving up a potential young star in Tyrese Haliburton in the deal that brought Sabonis to the Kings may not have been the best move for a rebuilding club, but the correct coaching hire could help them turn things around in the Western Conference.             

Sacramento Kings chairman Vivek Ranadive was reportedly one of the "driving forces" behind drafting Marvin Bagley III with No. 2 overall pick in 2018 ahead of Luka Doncic, a former member of the team's basketball operations staff told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee.

The source credited Ranadive and assistant general manager Brandon Williams in leading the charge for Bagley. They felt the former Duke star was a "modern-day big who could run the floor with De'Aaron Fox."

Bagley never reached expectations and was traded to the Detroit Pistons in February, while Doncic already has three All-Star selections.

Through four seasons, Doncic has a value over replacement player of 19.7 points per 100 possessions, while Bagley is at negative-0.1, per Basketball Reference.

The one decision is a major reason the Kings have continued to struggle as a franchise, missing the playoffs for the 16th season in a row in 2021-22. 

There has been plenty of change in personnel, both on and off the court in this time, but the former staffer explained that Ranadive is the common link as someone who is "too involved."

Even when Vlade Divac served as general manager from 2015-20, he was reportedly often overruled by Ranadive, while different people in the front office held more power at different times, including special advisor Joe Dumars and assistant general managers Ken Catanella, Scott Perry and Brandon Williams.

Divac previously took the blame for drafting Bagley, but it now seems Ranadive and Williams had a bigger say.      

The Sacramento Kings enter Sunday's regular-season finale against the Phoenix Suns with frustration as they will miss the postseason for the 16th straight year, which is the longest playoff drought in NBA history. 

However, it appears things beyond basketball might be contributing to the Kings' lack of success.

A former team employee recently told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee that the franchise has a "toxic work environment in which people don't trust each other," adding that it's "basketball hell." 

“People are not treated well," the source told Anderson. "They're not valued. It's a toxic workplace where there are some super-talented people who either move on or get let go for different reasons. It's unfortunate because I think people come with really pure intentions and want to turn it around."

The source added that the constant change in personnel, including players, coaches and executives, "created a culture of chaos where change was constant, direction was lacking and decision-making power shifted depending on who shared [Vivek] Ranadive's views."

Sacramento has not reached the playoffs since 2006, when they were the eighth seed in the Western Conference. They fell to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the postseason, and since then, they've been one of the worst teams in the NBA. 

The Kings have finished toward the bottom of the Western Conference standings in every season since that playoff loss and haven't finished higher than ninth place. Sacramento went 39-43 during the 2018-19 season to finish ninth in the West. 

This season, the Kings will finish in 12th place in the Western Conference, entering Sunday's regular-season finale against the Suns with a 29-52 record. They can't eclipse the 11th-place Los Angeles Lakers, and the 13th-place Portland Trail Blazers can't pass them. 

The Kings enter the offseason with plenty of work to do. They already traded Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers for Domantas Sabonis, who could become a franchise cornerstone, but they'll need to add more pieces around him and De'Aaron Fox.

The upcoming 2022 draft will be crucial for the Kings. While they currently only have one first-round pick, it's possible they trade for another. That said, adding someone like Oscar Tshiebwe, Keegan Murray or Jabari Smith could benefit the franchise in the long run. 

Donte DiVincenzo might be looking for a fresh start after seeing limited action to end the year with the Sacramento Kings.

James Ham of Kings Beat explained the situation:

"DiVincenzo and his group ... are not at all happy with the Sacramento Kings," Ham reported (at the 34:04 mark). "They believe that the Kings, very specifically, did not start him down the stretch of the season to limit his value in free agency."

The guard is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason, meaning the Kings can match an official offer from another team. With limited interest in free agency, there is a better chance Sacramento can keep him on the roster at a reasonable price.

DiVincenzo has a $6.6 million qualifying offer for 2022-23, but Ham noted that mark would have been higher if he fell into the "starter criteria."

The 25-year-old started just one of 24 games with the Kings in 2021-22 after joining the team following a four-team trade that sent Serge Ibaka to the Milwaukee Bucks and Marvin Bagley III to the Detroit Pistons.

Though he averaged 10.0 points per game in this stretch, consistency was an issue with fluctuating playing time. The Kings certainly could have used more production on the way to a 29-52 record heading into the final game of the year.

DiVincenzo surprising took more shots per game last season as part of a loaded Bucks squad that went onto win the NBA title. The 6'4" guard started all 66 regular-season games he played in 2020-21, averaging 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

This upside could make DiVincenzo an interesting option for teams this offseason, with his camp expecting at least a mid-level exemption, per Ham.

Sacramento still seemingly wanted to prevent the secret from getting out, ensuring he can remain with the organization for another cheap contract.

Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis received a one-game suspension "for aggressively confronting and making contact with a game official."

Sabonis was assessed a technical foul in the fourth quarter of Monday's 131-115 loss to the New York Knicks. He reacted to the call and quickly received a second technical:

Sabonis was ejected after this play pic.twitter.com/dUiuFQKmQN

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 8, 2022

ESPN's Bobby Marks noted the two-time All-Star will lose $127,586 because of the suspension—one the Kings disagreed with: 

The Kings disagree with the Sabonis suspension pic.twitter.com/tLdpkMw2V0

— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) March 9, 2022

The timing of his ban couldn't be much worse since the Denver Nuggets and MVP candidate Nikola Jokic are coming to Sacramento on Wednesday night. The Kings will be without their two best centers, Sabonis and Richaun Holmes, as they look to slow down Jokic, who's averaging 25.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.0 assists through three meetings against them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bP9mziypWk

Sabonis' ejection and suspension add to the team's continued frustrations this season.

The 25-year-old is putting up solid numbers (17.4 points on 56.8 percent shooting and 12.8 rebounds per game) in Sacramento, but the Kings are 4-7 with him in the lineup. They're four games back of the New Orleans Pelicans for the final play-in berth. 

Getting Sabonis as the cornerstone of a trade that sent Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana was at least supposed to make the franchise better in the short term. Instead, what was widely believed to be a lopsided deal is now looking even worse.