Report: Postseason disappointments impacting Mike Brown extension

May 28, 2024, 8:16 AM | Updated: 8:26 am

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown complains about a call du...

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

Following nearly two decades of ineptitude and an NBA-record-setting playoff drought, the Sacramento Kings have returned to relevancy since the start of the 2022-23 season.

It’s no coincidence that Kings head coach Mike Brown started his tenure with the organization during the 2022-23 season, a year that saw Sacramento storm back into the postseason for the first time since 2006.

Since Brown’s arrival, the Kings of old have been an afterthought. Wins have come in bunches, losing streaks have been contained, and–most importantly–drama has been left out of the equation.

Although Sacramento secured its second-straight winning season, they missed the NBA Playoffs by one game thanks to a loss against the New Orleans Pelicans in the Play-In Tournament.

A first-round appearance in 2023 and a brief showing in the 2024 Play-In reportedly have not ensured Brown’s job security beyond the upcoming 2024-25 season–the final guaranteed season of Brown’s four-year contract (mutual option for 2025-26).

Over the weekend, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that extension talks between Brown and the Kings have been tabled as the 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year seeks a pay bump and more guaranteed years on his contract.

NBA insider Marc Stein shed more light on the paused talks, pointing to the fact that Sacramento’s shortcomings in the postseason could impact the decision to extend Brown:

“Extension talks for Sacramento’s Mike Brown, however, have broken down as Brown enters the final guaranteed season of his original four-year deal.

The sides hold what has been described as a mutual option for 2025-26…Yet it appears that the combination of Brown’s desire for a significant salary bump and the Kings’ postseason disappointments of the past two springs has given his bosses pause.”

NBA insider Marc Stein – May 27, 2024

Is it time to worry about these extension talks? During this morning’s edition of The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross, the guys shared their stances on the topic:

More on Kings head coach Mike Brown

Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Brown’s Kings have posted a record of 94-70 (.573), good enough for tenth-best in the NBA and fifth-best in the Western Conference.

With Sacramento back on the NBA map and Brown crossing the halfway point of his contract, the time is near for both sides to discuss a contract extension.

Brown’s final year of his deal is a mutual option, meaning that the upcoming 2024-25 season is Brown’s final guaranteed season with the Kings. As the time for offseason decision-making approaches, Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer shed some light on what type of contract Brown is looking for from general manager Monte McNair and majority owner Vivek Ranadive:

The outcome of the Lakers’ process, and the rest of this unfolding coaching cycle — which has already included paydays for Jason Kidd and new Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer — will also provide added context for Mike Brown’s contract extension conversations in Sacramento.

With Brown’s Coach of the Year credentials and the new benchmarks for coaching salaries after Monty Williams landed $70-plus million from Detroit and Budenholzer’s recent $10 million average annual salary, Brown’s talks are expected to center around a similar eight-figure threshold as well, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Yahoo! Sports’ NBA insider Jake Fischer – May 15, 2024

Head coaches around the NBA have been receiving larger pay-days, with Detroit Pistons head coach and 2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year Award winner Monty Williams ($78.5 million over six years) and two-time Coach of the Year winner Mike Budenholzer ($50 million over five years with the Phoenix Suns) inking big deals in recent memory.

Brown, a fellow two-time Coach of the Year Award winner (unanimously in 2022-23), is next in line for a pay raise.

Although Fischer’s report indicates that Brown and the Kings will discuss an extension this summer, the head coach gave a business-as-usual response when asked about his job security.

“I have one year left on my deal; everybody knows that, but I’m excited about being here,” Brown said at his end-of-season press conference on April 24th. I’m excited about our future. So, I’m going to go into summer to figure out how we can be better next year.”

As of May 28th, there are four NBA head coaches that make $10 million or more per season:

Gregg Popovich, Spurs ($16 million)
Erik Spoelstra, Heat ($15 million)
Monty Williams, Pistons ($13 million)
Mike Budenholzer, Suns ($10 million)

Could Brown be the next head coach to join this list?

For Sacramento, the decision should be easy. Before Brown took over in 2022, the Kings lacked direction, consistency, and, most of all, a winning culture.

Brown has provided stability in all of those categories, even following a 46-win season that would typically put a team in a playoff spot–but not this year in a loaded Western Conference.

Sacramento would be wise to keep the head coach who succeeded where a dozen tried and failed before Brown’s arrival placed the Kings back in the postseason and moved the franchise out of the NBA basement.

How much is this winning culture worth to McNair and Ranadive? What is the price of a winning product? It looks like Brown will get an answer in the coming months before the team reports for training camp in late September.

When is the next Sacramento Kings off-season date of interest?

The NBA Draft is now a two-night event.

Wednesday, June 26th, will act as the first night of the 2024 NBA Draft, where the Sacramento Kings will make their first-round selection (13th). The second round of the draft will be held on Thursday, June 27th, where the Kings will use its 45th overall pick.

Sacramento hasn’t had a first-round pick since 2022, when it selected Iowa product Keegan Murray with the fourth overall pick.

Stay locked into Sactown Sports for all of your Kings draft coverage, including player profiles, reports regarding pre-draft workouts, draft night coverage, and much more.

NBA Offseason Schedule