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Chose a path. Stuck with it.
The Sacramento Kings made a franchise altering decision two summers ago when they inked veteran head coach Mike Brown to a contract. Two years later and with two winning seasons in the books, the Kings decided that Brown was the right man to continue to build the franchise’s program moving forward.
According to league sources, Brown and the Kings came to an agreement on a new three-year contract to remain in Sacramento through the 2026-27 season. Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report the agreement.
The deal overwrites the final season of Brown’s contract, giving him a substantial raise for the upcoming season and an additional two seasons at an estimated $8.5 million per season.
According to a source, the contract extension includes incentives that can push the deal closer to $10 million annually, putting Brown in line with the current going rate for NBA coaches with his level of experience and success.
Over the last week, the negotiation process has been all over the board. A week ago, the Kings and Brown tabled talks according to Wojnarowski. Per an NBA source, those talks re-ignited beginning earlier this week, but it was a rocky road that spilled out into the media at times.
In the end, Brown received a deal in the same ballpark as Doc Rivers’ four-year, $40 million contract in Milwaukee and Mike Budenholzer’s five-year, $50 million in Phoenix. He’ll need to hit certain benchmarks to equal those figures, but he’s in the conversation.
Brown is the 20th different head coach since the Kings moved to Sacramento prior to the 1985-86 season. He is also the first head coach since Rick Adelman to receive a second contract with the team.
In his first season at the helm of the Kings, Brown produced an 18-win improvement, leading the team to a 48-34 record and the franchise’s first playoff series in 16 years. In year two, Brown’s club finished at 46-36, but lost in a second play-in game and missed the playoffs.
After two seasons with the Kings, Brown has two of the team’s ten total .500-plus seasons in the Sacramento era. Adelman owns the other eight winning seasons. Brown also has the second highest win percentage during that time and is fourth in wins.
Why Brown’s extension matters
Both the extension and the timing of the extension are crucial to the Kings. This was a punch list item that quickly moved to the top of the list when the final year of Brown’s original four-year contract was opted out of.
The Kings have preached continuity over the last two years. They “ran it back” with the same basic rotation last season hoping to build on the previous year’s success. It didn't work out as planned, but from the taglines “All In” and “Connected” Brown has his team pulling in the same direction and having him walk into a season as a lame duck could have proved disastrous.
With Brown’s contract in the rearview mirror, the focus now shifts to the upcoming NBA Draft and free agency period. Kings general manager Monte McNair and assistant GM Wes Wilcox have their work cut out for them with the team holding the No. 13 and No. 45 overall selections for the draft, scheduled for June 26 and 27.
Sacramento also has the impending free agency decision of star sixth man Malik Monk and further decisions to make on the roster if they hope to improve the overall talent of the team. Having Brown solidly in place simplifies discussions with Monk, as well as any potential free agent or trade target.
The Kings are now committed to the culture and game plan in place. A player like Monk knows exactly where he fits into the grand scheme of things if he chooses to return. The core of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray also have a clear idea of the team’s hierarchy and where they stand in the Kings’ system.
A lack of stability has been an issue for nearly two decades in Sacramento, but it’s possible the franchise has turned the corner. The days of starting anew every other season may be behind the team and Brown now has an opportunity to build a program that will hopefully lead to continued success.
This is what good franchises do. They choose a path and avoid whimsical decisions that risk the stability of the program. Good franchises allow a culture to be built and when they fall short of their ultimate goal, they add, instead of subtract.
It got a little uncomfortable, but McNair and Wilcox checked a major box with Brown’s contract status clarified. This is the coach they chose two seasons ago and the results have been better than expected.
Now the real work begins to improve the roster with the hopes of getting back into the conversation with the top teams in the Western Conference.