Kings coach Mike Brown has helped turn the franchise around in a short amount of time, and he apparently would like to be rewarded for his contributions.
After a report circulated last month stating Brown wanted a "long-term commitment at his market rate" regarding a contract extension with the Kings, a new report suggests what that price tag might look like.
Brown is expected to seek an eight-figure salary following massive paydays to other coaches around the league, Yahoo! Sports senior NBA reporter Jake Fischer reported Wednesday, citing sources.
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"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," Fischer wrote.
"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. Tom Thibodeau’s own extension number in New York, sources said, is anticipated to finish in that same ballpark."
The Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham after just two seasons, and the team has been on the hunt for a replacement ever since.
Meanwhile, the coaching carousel continues around the league with instability, uncertainty and constant change for some organizations.
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From 2007 to 2022, the Kings went through 11 different head coaches before Brown was hired before the 2022-23 season. He won the NBA Coach of the Year in his first season with Sacramento after helping the Kings snap a 16-season playoff drought.
And despite missing the playoffs this past season, several Kings players after the season pointed out and lauded the organization's consistency -- from the players to the coaches to the front office.
Speaking to reporters at his end-of-the-season exit interview, Brown reiterated his desire to stay in Sacramento long-term.
"It's not really [top of mind this offseason]. I have one year left on my deal, everybody knows that," Brown said. "But I'm excited about being here. I'm excited about our future. So I'm going to go into this summer trying to figure out how we can be better next year. We're disappointed we're not playing and we feel like we left some things on the table."
A coach publicly stating he wants -- and is excited -- to be in Sacramento hasn't been so common over the years. But Brown hasn't shied away from letting that be known. And from what it looks like as of now, the players want him as their coach for a long time.
What Kings ownership decides moving forward will be public knowledge another day, but Kings general manager Monte McNair appears to be content with what Brown has done thus far.
"As I talked about, you look at a two-year horizon here which is when coach Brown and his staff came in, and [there are] a lot of positives," McNair told reporters at his exit interview. "We're certainly disappointed this year, and Mike and I will sit down and try to figure out how we get back to where we want to get to.
"And we'll have all those conversations starting soon."
