Kings Reportedly Make Decision on HC Doug Christie's Future Ahead of NBA Draft Lottery
Doug Christie will continue leading the Sacramento Kings despite missing the playoffs amid multiple key player injuries in his first full season as head coach.
Christie will return as head coach for the 2026-27 campaign, ESPN's Anthony Slater confirmed Sunday.
Slater added that "part of Sacramento's decision to retain Christie is about the positive development of rookie centers Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell and first-rounder Nique Clifford."
Christie joined the Kings as an assistant coach in 2021, then took over for former Kings head coach Mike Brown on an interim basis in December 2024.
After leading the Kings to a 27-24 record to finish out the 2024-25 season, Christie was promoted to full-time head coach on a multiyear deal.
His contract included two guaranteed seasons at around $2 million, with a team option for 2027-28 that includes "a significant uptick in salary," per The Athletic's Sam Amick.
In order to earn that third-year team option, Christie will likely have to lead the Kings to a more successful campaign than this season's 22-59 record.
Kings general manager Scott Perry told Amick in November he had "complete confidence" in Christie after a 4-13 start to the season, although by the time the season hit 21-59 NBA insider Jake Fischer reported the Kings were "evaluating Christie's future."
Fischer wrote that the time that evaluation was being made "based on the premise that Sacramento's various injury woes have made it difficult to gauge [Christie's] true capability in the role."
DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook were available for most of the season, but the same couldn't be said for Keegan Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Domantas Sabonis or Zach Lavine, all of whom missed significant time due to injury.
The Kings are now set for some roster turnover with Westbrook set to hit unrestricted free agency. Perry also told ESPN's Anthony Slater in January the Kings wanted to "get young as a team."
Sacramento is currently heading into the May 10 draft lottery tied with the Utah Jazz for the fourth-best odds of earning the No. 1 pick, per Tankathon.
Wherever the Kings end up after the lottery, landing on their top selection will be key to giving Christie a chance to coach a younger roster next season.
Whether that draft pick and a healthier 2026 campaign are enough to help the Kings retool into a playoff team could determine whether the franchise ultimately activates Christie's third-season option.
