NBA Rumors: Kings Insider Says 'Nobody Wanted to Fire' Mike Brown from HC Role

The Sacramento Kings made a tough decision by firing Mike Brown, and it was reportedly a decision that "nobody wanted."

Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the Kings tried to make other changes before firing Brown. They inquired about Zach LaVine, Brandon Ingram, Cam Thomas and Kyle Kuzma. After those trades didn't work out, they decided to move on from Brown.

"Nobody wanted to fire Mike," one Kings source said, per Shelburne. "He's a good coach. People here really care about him. Until the very last moment we were trying to make it work."

According to Shelburne, stars De'Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis were not consulted about the decision. Sacramento felt like it had the roster to compete, but needed a chance at head coach.

"That team has plenty of talent," one source with knowledge of the team said. "The roster is fine. They had to make a change."

The Kings started the year 13-13 but lost five straight before Brown's firing. His exit came just months after a multi-year extension and less than two seasons after he led them to their first playoff appearance in 16 years.

He was named the NBA's Coach of the Year in 2022-23 after leading Sacramento to a 48-34 record. In the playoffs that year, he took the defending champion Golden State Warriors to seven games before losing in the first round.

Last season, the Kings lost just two more games than the previous year, but a stronger Western Conference led to Sacramento missing the playoffs after losing one of its two play-in tournament games.

Brown set a new standard for the Kings by reaching the playoffs, but his squad seemed on its way to a second straight postseason absence this year despite reloading with new talent this offseason.

There were also rumors of tension between Brown and Fox, though Fox shut those rumors down in the days after Brown's firing.

"There was never any push back about anything," Fox wrote on social media. "This narrative of us butting heads or me going to management saying anything is bulls--t. So you can run with that if you want to."

The choice to part ways with Brown could come back to hurt the Kings if they are not able to regroup under new leadership. Sacramento has had little consistency over the past decade-plus and Doug Christie, the team's interim coach, is the eighth coach the Kings have had since 2013.

It's a risky move, but Sacramento has the talent to compete in the playoffs. Now it just needs the right coach to lead the way.